


Corpse Bride

by icedhobiccino



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Addiction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Hero, Anti-Hero Hisoka, Arranged Marriage, Cliche, Demisexuality, Depression, Developing Relationship, Domestic Violence, Dominant Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter), Dorks in Love, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hisoka is a babie, Hisoka might seem OOC at times, Hisoka's Bungee Gum Nen Ability (Hunter X Hunter), Hunter X Hunter Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Light Angst, Love Triangles, Male-Female Friendship, Manga Spoilers??, Marriage of Convenience, Partners to Lovers, Partnership, Princes & Princesses, Recreational Drug Use, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Romantic Gestures, Slow Build, Soft Hisoka, Suicidal Thoughts, Top Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 20:01:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 55,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30094386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedhobiccino/pseuds/icedhobiccino
Summary: After his prime prey gives him the slip, a satirical homicidal magician travels to a foreign kingdom and helps a princess escape an arranged marriage.- a dark fairytale with Hisoka as the anti-hero
Relationships: Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. The Magician

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up that my characterization of Hisoka will be from the manga so he may seem more expressive and cartoony than the anime. Manga Hisoka actually giggles a LOT and he has musical notes in his speech bubbles hehe. He also makes a lot of cute faces thanks to Togashi's art style I guess XD I feel like anime Hisoka is a lil too serious. However I will be using the 2011 anime Hisoka's appearance... mostly ;) 
> 
> I don't own Hisoka or any other Hunter x Hunter character or anything related to the plot. Props to the amazing Togashi!! This fanfic is my way of exploring Hisoka's character and writing about him with a different perspective.

#  **PROLOGUE**

# Heaven's Arena

**_SHWIP_ **

Another card flew into the dry wall, drawing more cracks from the gaping hole created by the mysterious figure seated on the ground, his long legs crossed.

The room was engulfed in darkness as the closed curtains blocked the city's night view from shrouding it with any light, his apparition merely visible due to the occasional flashes of lightning and the brightness of the small crackling screen before him. Thunder growled over the buzz of the malfunctioning tv, which happened to be the only sound apart from his occasional movements.

His breathes were calm and steady, the slight warmth caressing his own lips. He knew there was probably someone that was going to have to fix the artwork of cracks he'd so thoughtlessly created in the wall.

That is, if they were brave enough to enter the magician's suite without cowering in his overwhelming bloodlust.

A card tower stood on the table in front of him, ready to be toppled over with just the flick of his crooked finger.

The man's golden eyes flicked back at his creation and he felt a childish grin spread across his features at the irony. It always amused him how something so magnificent could be destroyed with such a delicate touch. The same structure he'd spent hours meticulously building to perfection...

was inevitably at his mercy.

No matter the effort and commitment he put into his prize, nothing satisfied him more than to see it topple at his own hands. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't just build another one.

And once that toppled, he'd build another. Thus, it became a ritual for him.

Build and  
_break_.

Build and  
_break_.

Build and  
_break_.

The result was the same every time, but a giggle would escape him nevertheless.

It was the same with his other toys. Like a spoiled child, he wanted shiny toys in their most pristine condition. Call him ungrateful, but he believed he deserved only the best. Likewise to a farmer raising his livestock, he needed the highest quality until it was ready to be slaughtered.

Although, even livestock were seen as living creatures. He didn't believe his toys to be such a thing.

They were objects. At best, mere fruits ready for him to pluck and devour until he moved onto his next victim. They simply existed to feed his addiction, there was no need to humanize them.

Just like his endless card towers, the magician didn't believe in attachment. Once he broke a toy, he forgot about them and moved onto the next. The toys that suddenly broke or lost value before he got the chance to play with them were no exception to his fickleness because what was once treasure can just as easily become trash to him. He wasn't going to bother pursuing something that wouldn't satiate his hunger. And if needed, he'd discard them himself.

However, a certain brooding individual with a dark mane and went by the name of Chrollo Lucilfer had become the forbidden fruit that kept slipping out of the magician's reach every time he neared it. No matter how far he stretched to pluck it from the tree, he always ended up grasping at air.

And the longer he was forced to stare at the ripened fruit, the sweeter and more tantalizing it appeared from his distant position.

It seemed like ages ago when the magician had first infiltrated the infamous group of bandits known as the Phantom Troupe just to get a chance to kill their capable leader, all for the dream to collapse once his nen was restricted.

The magician knew things could've ended between them after Yorknew. If Chrollo hadn't enlisted him for his help, he could've been well on his way to finding other toys. He could've sworn the raven haired man had already began to fade from his memory back then.

But he kept reminding himself that in the end it will all be worth it.

Chrollo was a rare edition while the magician was greedy and impulsive. If there was even the slightest chance, he was going to gladly take the opportunity just to see the head spider forced to his knees and experience the revelation of his inferiority, right before the life gets torn from his coal eyes and he becomes just another hit of dopamine for the blood crazed magician.

 _What was that saying? 'Good things come to those who wait.'_ He thought to himself.

So he was going to wait.

The bastard had left him hanging after the nen exorcism. But he had finally agreed to a fight and that's all the confirmation the magician needed.

At the end of the day, no matter how long it took Chrollo to prepare, it would make the destruction of his plans all the more satisfying because the magician didn't believe in cheap wins.

He had to be the one to break such capable opponents completely. He had to be the one to tear the hope and determination from their eyes and make them realize they've lost.... or else it didn't give his brain that pleasure he constantly chased. It was a high that only came from the thought of a true victory— a victory that never came if his opponents were to give up before he could finish them himself.

_Shwip_

Another card was thrown into the crack of the wall.

A brief "mmm" followed by a melodic cackle filled the room as well as the sound of cards collapsing.

The magician licked his lips as his expression darkened with malice. Soon he was going to feast.


	2. Vacation

#  **CHAPTER ONE**

# Dian Airport

**WHEN** Chrollo had said he needed time to prepare, the magician figured he'd meant maybe two or maximum three to four months. Hell, he was even willing to settle for five or six.

It had been nine months since their agreement.

For the first few months, the magician had spent his time searching for more toys through Heaven's Arena and ended up simultaneously reaching the title of floor master. Unfortunately for him, the selection of worthy opponents were getting rather thin as well as his patience. It was like the standards for pro hunters and fighters were starting to make such labels out to seem meaningless.

True to his nickname as the _Grim Reaper_ , his body count piled up corpse after corpse. He found himself discarding more disappointing opponents just for the sake of satiating his bloodlust. Even the ones that showed a flicker of potential were at risk of meeting the Reaper's pent up frustration. 

At this rate, his sporadic killing sprees were going to become more impulsive and he'd rather not deal with the trouble he could get from the Hunter's Association if he went overboard— not like he cared much for rules anyways.

The buzz of his phone caught the man's attention as he got off his private plane (earning money from his numerous fights had its benefits).

"Illumi! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He answered with utmost enthusiasm.

_"Hisoka... I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past thirteen hours."_

"Hm?" Hisoka pulled his phone away from his ear to discover he had six missed calls from the assassin. "So it seems." He stated impassively. "More family troubles?" He teased.

_"No, I've still been keeping tabs on Kil and Alluka but generally everything is back to normal. I guess mom still cries a lot over Kil while Kalluto keeps asking me about him. By the way, did you know that he joined the Troupe? Dad doesn't seem to show any further concerns about the situation and Milluki is.. well... Milluki. Mom is also still a little petty about grandpa letting Kil go after the Hunter's exam."_

A dumbfounded Hisoka pinched the bridge of his nose and had his lips stretched into a regretful smile for asking. He didn't actually expect nor care to hear about Illumi's family issues. He was merely teasing because of their last encounter with Alluka and Killua.

But the magician realized he should've known better and should've gotten used to Illumi's unnecessary honesty by now.

"... is there a reason you called? One that actually benefits me?" Hisoka maintained a lighthearted tone.

_"Ah, right. I'm currently on a mission and my target is an important arms dealer with heavy protection from the mafia. The trouble is that my needles won't be able to handle enough of the security and I recall you earlier asked to assist a mission that would compensate for your lack of opponents. I figured you could help lessen the numbers with your cards and the hideout is in a forest environment which would be perfect for your bungee gum."_

After a moment of sifting through his memory, Hisoka suddenly recalled the impulsive favour he'd asked Illumi a few weeks ago in a state of boredom and desperation. "I did ask that, didn't I?" The magician stated rhetorically, as if to say _'ah, you're right.'_ "But as tempting as that sounds, I am currently unavailable and out of the country. I'm taking a little _vacation_."

_"Oh... okay. I'll just ask Kalluto for help then. Enjoy your vacation."_

With that, Hisoka heard the other line go dead and he was left with the nuisance of listening to the excruciating beeps.

He immediately put the phone back in his pocket and let out a subtle chuckle.

 _He was never one for idle chit chat_. Hisoka thought.

The truth was that the magician hadn't travelled halfway across the Azian continent just to sightsee.

He'd overheard some of the fighters on the 200th floor talking about a kingdom beyond the Kakin Empire and an underground fight club within its capital city, Aicro. According to their words, it was a very organized underground network filled with some of the best and most rogue combatants in the world.

So Hisoka did a little research of his own and discovered that the name of the kingdom was Dian. It was a wealthy country known for their martial arts and warriors that were ruthlessly trained for potential wars. Their military was class A grade and they happened to be at the top of the Hunter's Association's list of countries to not piss off.

As Hisoka entered the limousine, he wondered how he hadn't heard of such a wonderful place until now. His attention went to his playing cards as the driver exited the airport and they made their way to Aicro city.

Hisoka was aware he was very much a dreamer, but he truly hoped that this fight club lived up to its reputation and his expectations.

He was just itching for a real good fight.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Aboutan hour and a half later, the limousine reached Aicro city and parked in front of the hotel which Hisoka had booked beforehand— also known as Angel's Rest Haven.

As soon as his body stepped out of the car, he slightly bent backwards to stretch his back as his hands held it for support. Then he immediately moved to stretching his arms and legs, rotating his ankles and wrists before cracking his knuckles and neck. His body had become rigid after being inside a confined space for so long. If the ride was any longer, he would've probably threatened the driver to go just a _little_ faster.

Hisoka pulled out a stack of 10 000 Jenny and handed it to the driver. " _Keep the change_ ~" he chimed with a soft smile and eyes closed. He could sense the driver's fear from where he stood. He figured it was probably because the driver could feel his bloodlust along the way here.

What Hisoka didn't realize was that the driver was actually more freaked out by his outfit.

Once the magician took out his single suitcase, the driver mumbled "freak" under his breath before speeding off.

Nevertheless, Hisoka's grin remained untouched. "If only he drove that fast on the way here. Maybe I should put in a complaint about him." The magician tsk'd in his silky voice.

But as soon as he entered the hotel, the insignificant driver had already vanished from his memory.


	3. Private Parties

#  **CHAPTER TWO**

# Angel's Rest Haven

**AFTER** taking a long and hot shower, Hisoka left the bathroom in a robe and went straight to the computer in his hotel room.

As the fight club was illegal and exclusive, they were very secretive about its location. Not even the dark web or any of the Hunter's websites had much information other than the fact that it always took place in Aicro.

All this trouble reminded him of the Hunter's exam and the effort it took him to find the location which changed annually.

But if the fight club ended up being as dreadfully disappointing, there was a chance he was going to fight and slaughter every member just for wasting his time.

"It doesn't seem like I'll find anything more from here." He huffed in disappointment as he turned off the computer.

He was going to have to find out about its location through Word of Mouth, meaning he would have to ask around.

Hisoka got dressed and styled his vibrant hair up as usual. Today, he decided to wear the dark turquoise sleeveless crop top with the diamond symbol on one side of his chest and a heart on the other.

The magician liked to carefully decide his colour schemes and decided on a minty blue sleeveless turtleneck beneath his crop top— and some white harem pants with the card symbols that match and compliment his hair. He'd recently dyed his hair a minty blue because he'd just felt like switching it up.

For the final touch, he decided on the same coloured wrist bands and his gold dangling heart earrings. And of course, he couldn't forget his face paint and winged eyeliner for his natural cat eyes.

Hisoka left his hotel room and decided he could start with asking about famous spots in the city. At least one of them was bound to have people that knew about or were involved in the fight club.

"Excuse me, would you be so kind as to direct a tourist like myself to any _fun_ events this evening?" He asked the person at the reception desk.

The young woman uncovered her face as she put down the fashion magazine she'd been reading, and got ready to judge whoever dared to disturb her peace.

Little did she expect that she was going to be face to face with a strange 6'2 man who looked like he came straight out of page 27 of her magazine.

There was a moment of silence as she attempted to process Hisoka's appearance, it was just the sound of her obnoxious gum chewing filling the air between them. The woman felt her skin crawl in his presence. Everything about Hisoka's demeanour felt suggestive.

 _Gosh, what a creep._ She thought.

"I'm afraid we do not do that type of _fun_ here." She finally said with a sarcastic smile plastered on her lips. "We have a bar and game room but that's about it. If you want the other kind of entertainment, that stuff is only allowed for the private parties held by the royal families in the palace. There's one happening right now but it's invitation only."

Halfway through her response, Hisoka caught onto what he was being accused of asking, which only caused his lips to curl into a smug grin. "How unfortunate. That's where all the _fun happens~_ "

He stopped caring about what people thought of him a long time ago.

His words caused disgust to form on her features. "Or you could just go sightseeing in the city because we also have a fireworks festival downtown." She handed him a flyer for the event even though she had no idea why she bothered trying to help him at this point.

Hisoka took the flyer and briefly skimmed its contents. _If I were part of an illegal and shady fight club, which event am I more likely to attend?_ He thought to himself.

Hisoka's instincts were telling him that these type of people were probably powerful enough to attend the royal family's private parties. Their class status would've been the perfect mask for whoever participated in the club and it would've made them harder to reach for anyone that wanted to join. Hell, maybe members of the royal family were secretly aware of the underground club themselves.

"How do you know of the royal family having such parties?" Hisoka suddenly asked the young woman.

She scoffed right after popping the bubble she blew. "Gossip. It's obviously not common knowledge but I know people. Like I said though, it's invitation only."

Hisoka hummed in acknowledgment before his eyes became slits as he sent her an innocent looking smile. "You've convinced me. I think I'll go to the fireworks festival. It sounds like _more fun~_ " He beamed.

With that, the skeptical woman watched him saunter out of the hotel as he carelessly hummed to himself.

She scoffed before getting back to her magazine. "What a liar."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hisoka ended up walking all the way downtown. He thought it would be more fun to sightsee as he made his way to the palace.

He wasn't completely lying when he said seeing the fireworks seemed like fun.

Some people had already started lighting the colourful sparks that crackled before flying into the sky and blooming like flowers.

Such visuals were especially attractive to a magician. Smokescreens, dramatic flairs, and misdirection were Hisoka's specialty.

Hisoka wasn't necessarily concerned with always having an audience to wow, but his elusive persona came in handy when he needed to buy time to figure out his opponent's strategy or mess with their psyche. Hisoka was what one would call a tactician. He preferred to respond to situations as they arose and developed schemes along the way— long term planning and strategizing were more within Chrollo's lane. Hence, Hisoka was allowing Chrollo to take his time to come up with a plan for their fight. It made no difference to him.

And what better way to stun someone than with magic? Tricking the mind into confusing what's reality and what's not was a powerful weapon, and it was very much Hisoka's entire personality.

Once he reached the magnificent building, Hisoka's hands rested on his hips as he took a moment to take in the architecture and large gates that were currently open.

 _So this is it._ He thought.

He couldn't say that he wasn't impressed. Aicro was a beautiful city indeed.

One of the guard's eyes widened as he caught sight of the vibrant magician.

"Evening, gentlemen." Hisoka spoke with nonchalance as he casually eyed the three guards with one hand on his hip.

But before he could pass, two of them immediately blocked his way. "Invitation?" The tall one asked with a gruff.

The magician pretended to search his pockets. "Oh my." His expression feigned innocence as he held his hands up with a shrug. "My invitation seems to be with my friend. But they happen to already be inside." He spoke sheepishly as his sharp nail pointed towards the entrance.

But as he stepped forward, the guards used their spears to block his way again. "No invite, no entry." The guard sneered.

"Oh _don't be like that~_ I already told you that my friend has my invite. They will miss me dearly if I don't meet up with them." Hisoka leaned forward and cupped the side of his mouth with a hand to whisper, "poor thing, they're a little clingy and sensitive."

Unfortunately for him, the guard leaned back with an unimpressed expression which caused Hisoka to narrow his eyes. The guard's wrinkly face suddenly irritated the magician.

Hisoka sighed in exasperation. "I don't suppose this will help?" He took out his Hunter's license and held it lazily between his forefingers.

The guards huddled to see the license right before their expressions morphed into subtle shock at the fact that such a peculiar man was a pro hunter.

Nevertheless, the guard cleared his throat. "Sorry. The royal family is quite strict about these things and not even _that_ can help you. If you're not invited, you can't get in. So get it through your _thick skull_." He spat.

Hisoka's expression remained carelessly smug as he took another step forward. "If you just let me-" a guard instantly put his hand on the magician's shoulder.

That was his first mistake.

Not even a moment later, a bloodcurdling scream left the guard that had touched Hisoka.

The magician was now holding the poor man's severed arm and using it as a pointer. "Have you never been taught the expression, 'hands to yourself' hm?" In spite of Hisoka's actual irritation, his sweet and polite tone remained laced within his words as he patronized the guard.

The man was now kneeling, still too busy wailing in pain at the fact that his arm was cut clean off. Meanwhile, the other two guards were frozen in shock.

Hisoka calmly squat to the same level as him whilst his honey eyes were practically glowing beneath the moonlight. "And now you will watch as your comrades die by your own _hand_." He humorously waved the severed arm as he let out a short snicker.

Before the guard behind him could run away, Hisoka attached bungee gum to his ankle and dragged the guard's body towards himself.

"And where do you think you're going?" He teased. "Not very noble of you to leave your friends."

By then, the third guard had finally snapped out of his state of shock and he headed straight for Hisoka with his spear.

The flexible magician did a backwards flip from his squatting position, kicking away the spear and hurling the guard attached to his bungee gum at the one whose spear was knocked off.

Their bodies knocked into each other as if they were bowling pins, giving Hisoka enough time to swiftly pick up the fallen spear.

He casually twirled the spear in one hand as if it were a baton and scrutinized the unworthy men.

 _They don't seem to know how to use nen._ He thought with disappointment. With all the combat training he'd heard about Aicro city, he figured they must be very low level guards that no one wanted at the party.

Just to make things more interesting, he decided to fight them without his hatsu and went into zetsu. Hisoka was in the mood for some form of entertainment, so he thought he'd fight by their standards.

He used the fingers of the severed arm to caress the blade along the spear. "Do you just use these as swords or do you enjoy poking people with them as well?" He feigned a childish curiosity.

Just as the guards came for him again, he dodged with a flawless aerial flip over their heads and used the severed arm to punch a guard's head into the ground with brute force.

Hisoka landed gracefully as blood pooled from the guard's skull and the body laid limp along the pavement.

The magician's body bent backwards just in time to dodge the spear that was about to plunge into his chest and he proceeded to do a spinning back kick which planted his heel against the other guard's face.

Then he had the severed arm form a fist before using it to punch the same guard in the face and sent him flying until he consequently landed on the pointy tip of the gates.

Without warning, Hisoka threw the spear he was holding into the chest of the kneeling guard that was forced to watch his severed limb be violated. He observed in amusement as the spear directly hit the man's heart— the magician had always wanted to try javelin.

Still holding the severed arm, the magician rested his free hand on his hip as he now stood with three corpses.

"Pity. This wasn't as fun as I'd hoped it would be." In contrast to his soft voice, a sadistic grin carved its way onto his lips and he highfived the dead guard's hand. " _Hehe~_ " his eyes became crescents and his face suddenly resembled those smiling theatre masks.

Consumed by his bloodlust, Hisoka didn't realize his aura had intensified.

But that's when he heard it.

It was the sound that caused him to halt all his actions and captured his undivided attention.

His pupils suddenly dilated and his muscles relaxed until they went limp, causing him to carelessly drop the severed arm.

He'd never heard such an exquisite voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yorknew Hisoka supposedly had green hair in the manga which I really wanted to see in the anime :( so I used my powers as a fic writer to make him dye his hair again HAHAHAH
> 
> Also if anyone isn’t familiar with the Thalia comedy mask it’s that happy mask in this emoji >>> 🎭 I’ve noticed Togashi actually draws Hisoka’s face like that when he smiles mischievously sometimes and even if it’s not on purpose Ofc Hisoka would resemble the muse of comedy XD


	4. The Encounter

#  **CHAPTER THREE**

# Aicro Palace

**A LULLABY**. That's what the humming sounded like. The magician recognized it as a nostalgic children's lullaby that his memories couldn't quite put a finger on. It rang through his ears yet it felt like the voice was echoing inside his head and bouncing off the walls of his brain, capturing his complete autonomy.

Hisoka felt his mind start to grow foggy, he suddenly had no clear thoughts of his own, as if he were induced in some sort of sedated state.

A dreamy smile formed on his lips as his back hunched forward. His eyelids felt heavy yet everything else about him felt light and relaxed as the voice continued to chime in his head like bells.

Against his will, he felt himself succumb to the angelic sound.

Before he knew it, his feet had started dragging him towards the direction of the humming. He was like a moth attracted to a flame.

Like a child following the Piper's flute, the magician blindly followed the woman's voice as he wandered through the halls of the palace. Despite never being in the building before, it was like her voice was the only map his body needed. Every twist and turn he took through the dimly lit deserted halls felt second nature to him. It seemed like everyone was too busy with the party in the main ballroom to notice that there was an intruder in the palace.

The voice took Hisoka up a dark flight of stairs that led to the highest point of the building.

Right  
Left  
Right  
Left

His feet carried him like the mindless zombie he'd become. Somewhere in his subconscious he was fighting to resist. His hand ended up reaching for the wall as his nails started dragging along the wallpaper, leaving claw like tears through the thin material.

Alas, his efforts to break free went in vain as he failed miserably. He was being held prisoner in his own body and mind by the hauntingly beautiful voice.

As he reached the final level, the humming felt stronger as well as the ren of the possible user that had started to prickle along the magician's skin.

Goosebumps formed along his arms and the baby hairs on the back of his neck straightened as he got closer. A sudden wave of sadness washed over him as he made contact with the incoming aura and he was jarred into the suffocating and unpleasant sensation, with his manipulated body unable to protect himself from it.

The lights began to flicker, causing the magician's shadow to appear and disappear along the wall.

Whatever the user was feeling, he could feel it too.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such emotional pain. Such void and hopelessness.

It was the type of sadness that went beyond having tears left to cry and made his body feel numb and heavy, like he was reduced to a walking corpse and would rather drop dead.

It was the type of sadness Hisoka never wanted to personally experience.

After wandering down the dark and ominous hall, he approached a pair of large double doors that were heavily chained shut with a padlock. Large carvings of snakes decorated the fancy stone alongside symbols that Hisoka clearly didn't recognize. But even in his sedated state, he knew the immense security was meant to keep something in— or someone.

Without a moment of hesitation, he was compelled to break the padlock and chains as if he were snapping a twig.

With one powerful kick, the heavy doors burst open and he was hit with a gust of wind and aura.

The window was wide open and there stood a woman in the center of the room. Her back was to Hisoka and all he could see was her raven hair that reached past her hips and had glitter styled into it. Her voice was accompanied by a small music box that she was likely holding out of his sight.

But as soon as the woman acknowledged the other presence, her humming stopped along with the little trinket.

It was within the flash of that moment that a nen infused playing card was suddenly held at her neck, pressing lightly against the skin and causing a little blood to trickle.

"You have a lovely voice." Hisoka lulled. A victorious smirk appeared on his lips as he felt his previous helplessness dissipate alongside the effects of her hatsu. He figured she either had to be a manipulator or an emitter. With both of the placements, it was plausible she was either a manipulator who knew emission techniques or an emitter that knew manipulation techniques "It would truly be a shame if I had to cut it out of your throat." He had the card pressed dangerously close to her trachea.

Hisoka was threatening her from behind and his chest was still a distance from her back. Whoever she was, the magician thought she had a lot of nerve manipulating him like that.

But the strange woman still dared to lean her head back and peered straight into his blazing irises that practically glowed like fireflies from their intensity.

"What are you waiting for?" She spoke with a soothing yet indifferent voice as she carelessly allowed Hisoka's card more access to her neck.

The magician's smirk faded as he got a chance to really look into her earthy eyes.

 _They're lifeless_. He thought.

In that moment, those cold and depraved eyes told him everything he needed to know: that she didn't have a single intention to fight for her life nor a current will to live. In fact, those soulless eyes were urging him to kill her. No, they expected him to, as if she felt entitled to die like this.

That's when he realized that she was expecting him to kill her the moment she'd felt his presence in the palace.

 _She anticipated this._ He thought.

Hisoka removed his card from her neck and took a step back. "You lured me here on purpose... because you wanted me to kill you." He stated as an observation.

When she turned around, he finally got a better look at her. She had doe eyes that were sloped and surrounded by thick doll-like lashes. Dark purple eyeshadow was smudged below her bottom lash line, giving more of a smoky mysterious look. A heart shaped beauty mark rested beneath her left eye while her nose was upturned and she had full crimson lips.

The magician noticed she wore a lot of jewellery. A head chain decorated the top part of her forehead while a silver piece of snake shaped jewellery was pierced into her belly button. Her outfit consisted of a mid sleeved black lace crop top that hardly covered the black bralette beneath. The rest of her outfit was a long black skirt with a slit on the right side and the thigh beneath it was wrapped in thin chain accessories as well.

"You weren't exactly making an effort to mask your bloodlust. I'm also quite sensitized to these things, so I could feel it as soon as you reached the entrance of the palace." She spoke emotionlessly.

Hisoka had already made himself comfortable by sitting on the windowsill with his leg crossed and cards shuffling in his hands. "So you felt the bloodlust of a complete stranger and decided to lure him to you in hopes of killing you. That's quite the death wish you have." His eyes never left his cards but his tone had a hint of amusement.

"Do you have any qualms of granting it?" The woman asked dryly.

The magician's golden eyes looked up at her and narrowed in curiosity. "Not at all. I'm just typically not interested in the dead. But you've went through so much trouble just to get me here, I might as well hear you out." He drawled. His eyes moved down to the bandages wrapped around both of her hands that reached just below her elbows. Her ability and circumstances had piqued his curiosity. "Why do you want to die? And if you want to so badly, why not do it yourself?" He asked with a raised brow.

The woman was slightly caught off guard by his questions.

' _Why' indeed_. She thought.

Dying had never been out of the question for her. Whether it be an accident or someone ended up killing her— she just didn't see a point in living. But the reason behind why she couldn't do it herself felt much more complex than it was.

"He keeps me in here unless he needs something from me. We're not even married yet he walks around like he owns the place." She let out a bitter chuckle before her expression went blank again. Her eyes lazily moved to her bandaged hands. "Before my father died, he owed prince Alexei's family money— they happen to be the royal family of our neighbouring country, Breatan. So he basically paid that debt by marrying me off to him and avoided a war. Like I said, we're not married yet but he's very controlling and he managed to convince everyone I'm too sick to have any authority over the palace or kingdom. Both of my parents are dead so he's taking his place as the next heir." She explained.

Hisoka carefully processed the woman before him. It didn't take a genius to tell she was in an abusive relationship and eventually became desensitized to all the harm that went her way. She no longer cared about what happened to her.

But Hisoka thought the fact that she was still looking for a way out of it and couldn't bring herself to end her own life meant there was a part of her that still desired to live. "And where is your fiancé now?" He asked in his gentle tone.

"Downstairs. Probably in the arms of another woman. He has these types of parties every year." The way she spoke was as if she couldn't care less.

The carefree magician suddenly found himself a little bummed that he didn't have a chance to check out the party before she had lured him up, it sounded like he could've had a little fun.

He decided now was his chance to ask about her ability. His cards were already put away while his chin rested on top of his knuckles. "Your hatsu lets you manipulate people, doesn't it? Why not use it on him to call off the marriage or keep him from hurting you?" His questions seemed to come out as playful taunts.

"The _siren's call_ only controls the person while I sing or hum. As soon as my voice stops, he's back to his own desires, so it's rather temporary control. What I make someone feel depends on what I want them to feel, but it doesn't play out well for manipulating someone's long term decisions. Our wedding is a political matter. I can't simply sing to make him merely announce that he's calling it off. There's a process and I still have obligations. He is also aware of my ability." She paused as she thought carefully about what to reveal to the magician. "And he has ways of resisting it." She spoke cautiously.

A Cheshire grin reached Hisoka's features as he hummed in acknowledgment at this. "I've never been interested in politics, but I can understand your position." He feigned an exasperated sigh. "I can kill you if you'd like. But I personally think it would be a waste for someone of your abilities. I can just as easily help you escape the palace if you truly wish." He offered.

In that moment, Hisoka had no desire to fight her nor did he see her as a potential opponent. After all, she was already broken.

However, he was a fickle man that couldn't help but wonder what she could truly be like if he helped her escape the cage that was fuelling her depression. He had already picked up that she was smart and resourceful. Her sensitivity to sensing aura was also quite impressive. If there was even a chance he could get to see what she was capable of when she truly valued life, his mere curiosity was enough to prefer that she lived...... _IF_ possible that is. But if she still wanted to be killed by him then he'd respect her decision and begrudgingly grant her wish depending on if she had something else to offer before he'd kill her, such as information on the fight club.

"So what do you say, do you want to die or do you want to live?" He patiently asked with legs crossed and chin resting on his knuckles. "It's your choice."

The woman looked like she was truly contemplating his words. "If I run... they'll simply send people to catch me. It doesn't matter if I leave on my own volition. Even if you 'kidnapped' me, I'm still obligated to marry him." No matter how she looked at it, she didn't see this ending well apart from her death. And suddenly she felt herself losing the minimal hope she'd gained from this encounter.

 _Why am I even bothering..._ She thought.

She looked up at the strangely dressed man with the honey eyes and mint hair. She figured she should apologize for wasting his time. Maybe he'll kill her out of irritation if she's lucky.

But right as she opened her mouth, she had suddenly gotten an idea and her dull eyes widened at the revelation.

It was either the stupidest thing she'd ever thought of or the most brilliant. Her common sense was aiming for the former.

"I.. I think I have an idea. It's crazy but it might just work." Her words were hesitant but they hadn't lost the coldness to them.

" _I'm all ears~_ " The magician chimed.

The woman felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she avoided eye contact with Hisoka. But she forced the words to escape her nevertheless.

She cleared her throat. "We could elope."


	5. The Deal

#  **CHAPTER FOUR**

# Aicro Palace

**SILENCE.**

None of them spoke as Hisoka looked at her with an unreadable expression. Had he heard her correctly?

She couldn't have possibly just suggested to elope with a strange man she'd just met. Let alone a murderer she'd asked to kill her.

His final thoughts were confirmed as he carefully observed her expression and didn't see a hint of humour— just suppressed and very genuine embarrassment on her typically cold demeanour.

She was being completely serious.

 _Oh. Oh?_ He thought. Then the realization had truly started to hit him.

Amongst the awkward silence, Hisoka's melodic laugh suddenly filled the tension as he covered his face with one hand. He himself was in a state of disbelief while simultaneously relishing in the fact that she'd practically just proposed to him.

The woman crossed her arms and let out an exasperated huff, her expression was back to being cold and unimpressed. "If you just let me elaborate." She patiently spoke while the magician started to giggle childishly.

"Well this is just all so sudden." Hisoka spoke with more composure while his hand was still on his face. "No one's ever proposed to me before, let alone a _princess~_ " He feigned a coy chibi expression as he hid his face from her. "I'm feeling _a little shy~_ "

The cynical princess got a different feeling from his statement, she could tell that he was just teasing. "As long as I'm engaged to prince Alexei, he has an excuse to remain in my life. It's his way of keeping a leash on me." She said seriously. "I'm not suggesting we actually act like a married couple, just be officially married on paper. As long as our marriage is legitimate, Alexei can't marry an already married woman. In Dian, we take monogamous marriages very seriously... that's why he's having all his fun until we get married."

With the exception of his lazy smirk, Hisoka was more serious and back to shuffling his cards. "I see. You're suggesting I help you change your official marital status so that _Prince Charming_ can't keep you locked away." He pulled out a king of spades and held it up for the princess to see. "Well, I'm no prince. But in a game of tricks..." his forefinger casually flicked the side of the card, changing the card's image into a joker within the blink of an eye, "even the joker trumps the king."

The Dianin princess still looked at him with skepticism. "Does that mean you'll actually do it?" Her emotionless voice held a hint of hope.

"Since we're already negotiating, I'd like to make some demands and establish conditions of my own." Hisoka's voice remained nonchalant and ever so soothing. "I very much believe in fair trades." He said with a deviant grin.

The princess merely shrugged. "Fair enough. Name your price."

Hisoka stopped shuffling his cards and sauntered his way towards her. "Since we would already have such an arrangement, I suggest a give and take relationship." He pointed at her. "I scratch your back," then he pointed at himself, "you scratch mine." He stated. To him, this was no different than his alliances with Kurapika and Illumi. "Just a harmless alliance. We exchange useful information, maybe we fight alongside each other if it's beneficial— strictly business." He waved his hand dismissively. "Although, I'm not against forming any sort of casual friendship." He briefly threw her a suggestive grin.

The magician finally stopped walking as he stood directly in front of her, his tall height was now towering over her 5'5 figure.

He held up a finger. "But I do like to emphasize that I believe in mutual benefit, no one's hand will be forced. Unlike our binding label of marriage, any one of us is free to break the alliance if it's no longer seen as beneficial. Regardless on who breaks it, there will be no judgments or strings attached." The magician suddenly leaned forward, almost a little too close for the princess' liking. She could practically smell the gum laced in his breath while his face was mere inches from hers. "However, if I do end up being the one to break the alliance, I won't be petty enough to get an official annulment or divorce. If it suits you, we're free to stay _married_ after we part ways. As long as it doesn't keep me from achieving any goals, it's no burden to me."

The unnerved woman managed to maintain eye contact with him and allowed herself to take a dip in those otherworldly pools that were abnormally golden. They seemed to be scanning hers as well.

"That's fair." Was all she said.

The magician leaned back and had an expression of childish glee on his pale features. "Then I accept. Where do we get hitched?" He clasped his hands together as he couldn't contain his excitement.

Eloping with a princess had definitely not been on Hisoka's to-do list, but it was certainly a fascinating turn of events.

"I know someone that can have the paperwork done by-" the princess cut herself off when she felt more guards coming up— they were the ones that were at the party and could use nen. "We have to go. I think they found the corpses you left." She said as she eyed Hisoka.

The sound of pounding footsteps got louder as the guards approached the room.

Hisoka and the princess were already standing on the windowsill by the time the guards made it to the doorway of her room. The guards froze in hopes of not wanting to cause the princess to fall.

"Your highness!" One of them called out. "It's dangerous up there, please come down!" He pleaded.

"Princess, I suggest you hold onto me." Hisoka whispered next to her ear, his breath tickling the tip.

The woman wrapped her arms around the magician's neck and allowed him to slip his own arm around her waist. She felt herself growing flustered as he pulled her close to him until their sides touched.

"Princess!" Another guard called out desperately.

"Tell the prince that he doesn't have to worry about our engagement any longer. I'm betrothed to another." The princess called out.

The guards' eyes widened in horror. "You can't possibly mean..." their eyes flickered to the smug looking magician.

"Your highness, that's not funny." Another one said.

"I'm afraid she isn't joking." Hisoka intervened. He took a step back, causing her to shift back with him. "Give his highness my sincerest regards." He said cooly.

"Wait-"

Without another moment of hesitation, Hisoka and the princess let themselves fall backwards out the window.

The first thing she felt was the air pushing against their backs as she and Hisoka continued to fall

Down

Down

Down

Down.

The princess could feel the weight of her muscles give way due to the clash of gravity and the acceleration of their fall.

She glanced to check on the magician, only to see his eyes closed with an unbothered grin on his face. It were as if this was just another casual evening for him.

 _For someone who values their life, he sure looks peaceful_. She thought.

His vibrant eyes casually opened and slid over to her. His smirk grew. She suddenly felt some type of adhesive substance where his hand was on her waist.

The princess looked down and used gyo to realize he had attached a pink aura around her waist and was using it as a safety belt.

Suddenly they were flung up by the same pink substance. They practically flew as he attached it to poles and buildings to continuously launch and swing himself forward. But they were still significantly high up.

The pair was soon met with fireworks shooting in their direction.

The magician did his best to swiftly dodge the colourful sparks which crackled around them. Meanwhile, the princess was staring at the fireworks in astonishment and awe. It's not like she hadn't attended the festivals before, but it was truly a different sight close up.

Just for a moment, there was a fleeting spark of life in her eyes.

A little boy caught sight of the two figures flying with the fireworks. He immediately started tugging at his mother's dress. "Mama! Look!" He pointed at the sky.

The princess didn't realize her grip around Hisoka's neck had gotten tighter, but it didn't go unnoticed by the mischievous magician.

He briefly landed on the side of a building and stuck his hands and feet to it in an all fours position with the princess still hanging with her arms around him. "Scared?" He teased as he looked at her with a cocky grin.

However, once her brown eyes met his light ones, he immediately regretted it.

All he saw was an endless dark pit of nothing, and the magician felt himself getting sucked into a deep void that had once held all her motivation and will.

It was like staring into a hollow shell.

He suddenly despised those cold lifeless eyes. Who knew the dead could irritate him so much?

Whatever spark of life that was just in them was already gone as she looked to him, her face consequently too close to his. "I should be, shouldn't I." She simpered in a rhetorical tone.

Unamused by her response, the magician's lips tugged into a frown and his brows furrowed as he looked away. "If you're just going to carelessly accept death with open arms then you might as well be a walking corpse." In spite of his honey voice, his words were sour and blunt.

He was starting to have that inkling feeling that maybe she was too far gone and he was just carrying dead weight. Could someone so lifeless even prove useful to him?

 _That would be no fun at all_. He thought.

But he'd seen what her hatsu could do, and what piqued his curiosity was that he could tell she was intentionally withholding information about her full capabilities. Even if he didn't feel like fighting her, she still had a chance to prove her usefulness to their alliance.

He launched himself off the building and used his hatsu to continue swinging along the skyscrapers, the air splashing against both of their faces and hair blown with the wind.

Her expression remained unaffected from his harsh words. "Are you saying I should be more like you? You don't strike me as someone who accepts death, but you sure love to dance with it." She said observantly.

The magician's amused grin returned. "Your _highness_ , I'm afraid you've got it all wrong." When his head turned to her, there was a sudden malice to his expression and his aura intensified. "I _am_ death."

If it weren't for her own ten, she would have probably been more affected by the sinister ren he'd just released. Normal people who feared for their lives would've rightfully cowered at the mere bloodthirsty look on his face. There was no denying that this man was dangerous.

But for the princess, her willpower was focused on not rolling her eyes at his narcissism.

 _He's not immortal yet he likes to convince himself he's invincible._ She mentally scoffed.

After spending two years dealing with a man like Alexei, Hisoka didn't really scare her.

Perhaps it was just because the one thing Hisoka could take from her was something she no longer cared to lose: her life.

She decided to move on to her next observation. "That leads me to my next thought— you strike me as an adrenaline junkie. Am I close?"

Before she knew it, Hisoka's expression had gone back to his less intimidating smug one. He casually hummed before looking straight ahead. "Something like that." He replied.

The rest of the way was uneventful as the princess gave Hisoka directions to a building where she told him she knew someone that could get them legally married.


	6. I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

#  **CHAPTER FIVE**

# Aicro City Hall

**THE WOMAN** pushed her glasses down her nose. "So that's your knight in shining armour?" She spoke with wariness in her voice.

The woman with jet black hair looked back at who her friend was talking about and spotted Hisoka casually sitting in a chair across the office with a childish smile on his face and cards shuffling within his hands.

"I mean... he's got a good figure, I'll give him that. But Sanura... is he really that much better than Alexei?" Her friend asked in a whisper.

All Sanura could do was shrug and force a lazy smile. "I know he may seem..." she took another glance at Hisoka, "bizarre. But it's not like we're actually going to be a couple. All that matters to me is if he's a man of his word, and something tells me he still lives by some type of code." She said cooly.

Her clerk friend shook her head in disbelief. "Man, you've really got some guts. But he did help you escape so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." She teased.

Sanura's friend told her to wait as she prepared the documents, so the princess made her way to sit next to Hisoka— who was still preoccupied by his cards.

She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes with a sigh. Her brain had enough action for the day and she just wanted to sleep.

 _A few minutes wouldn't hurt_. She thought.

Gradually, she felt her consciousness slip away and she fell into slumber.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Sanura's eyes slowly opened as she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

She looked to the side and saw Hisoka giving her a warm smile before pointing to her friend. "Your friend is calling us." He said softly.

Sanura's friend made her and Hisoka sign and fill out all the required documents and briefly informed them of any legal terms and ramifications.

Sanura briefly skimmed over the documents again, which now read _Sanura Demir, age: 26_ and _Hisoka Morrow, age: 28_. She looked up at the magician with a twinge of curiosity in her eyes. "Nice to finally know your name, Hisoka."

The magician merely sent her his signature grin. "I could say the same, Sanura."

She couldn't explain it, but the way her name rolled off his tongue made her feel very strange. Maybe it was the way his voice was always so soothing, but it was an oddly satisfying feeling.

"Well, I'd say that's about it. The only thing left is..." the clerk paused as she brought out the two rings.  
  
  


_Two Years Ago_

_A giddy Sanura handed the rings to her friend, who was looking at the princess as if she'd gone mad._

_"You can't seriously be trusting me with something so precious... and EXPENSIVE!" Her eyes widened in bewilderment as she noticed the snake engravings on the band._

_Sanura simply giggled and put her finger to her lips as if she were drunk. "Lower your voice, will you? I trust you that's why I'm giving them to you. I can't have Alexei finding them or else it'll ruin the surprise!"_

_Her friend felt her lips curl into a soft smile as she watched the ecstatic princess."And how is your Prince Charming?"_

_Sanura's eyes sparkled at the question. Her friend couldn't recall the princess ever being this giddy. She was almost about to question if she was high on drugs._

_"I can't begin to describe him— he's perfect." She took hold of both of her friend's hands. "He's so sweet and super handsome. You know he's taking me on a date later tonight." She giggled. "But he won't tell me where. He said it's a surprise." She feigned an annoyed look and rolled her eyes._

_After a moment, the princess went silent and a dreamy smile crossed her lips._

_Her friend frowned at the sudden lack of movement from the princess. "Sanura.... you okay?"_

_The princess looked up at her friend as her brown eyes sparkled with life and her smile grew. "I think I'm in love." She squealed._   
  


"We don't have to-" but before she could finish her sentence, Sanura snatched a ring.

"Fuck him." She said coldly. She turned to Hisoka and held out her hand. "Give me your hand."

The magician silently complied and allowed her to lightly hold onto his hand and slide the ring onto his ring finger. His skin was a lot softer than she expected.

"You deserve it more than he does." She muttered bitterly under her breath and didn't even bother to meet the magician's curious eyes.

For now, Hisoka brushed off her reaction and took the other ring. "May I?" He asked with a lopsided grin.

Sanura hesitantly held out her bandaged hand and allowed him to hold it in place as he slid the cool silver onto her ring finger.

She found herself staring soullessly at the glamorized piece of jewellery and mulled over its features and significance.

It was funny how something that meant so much to her now meant _nothing_.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife." Her friend announced sarcastically.

Whatever lingering sentiment Sanura had was forced deep down, far enough so that he could never find a place in her heart again.

"Sanura, if you need a place to stay, you can come with me." Her friend suggested.

But it was like the princess didn't hear her. She was still staring intently at the ring on her finger.

Her clerk friend rubbed her eyes tiredly and sighed. She knew this couldn't be easy on her. The princess had those rings custom made for her and prince Alexei. "Sanura." She called out again.

Sanura snapped out of her trance and gave her friend a grateful nod. "I would appreciate that."

In the midst of all this, Hisoka figured now was a good time as any to ask about the fight club. He was aware that there was no guarantee that the princess knew about it, but considering that was the whole reason he went to the palace in the first place, he might as well try before they parted ways. "Sanura, would you walk me out?"

Sanura turned to the magician who was smiling innocently with his eyes closed as she eyed him strangely. He was definitely up to something. "Sure." She said.

Sanura walked with Hisoka until they were standing outside the entrance of the building and out of her friend's sight.

"Are you aware of an underground fight club that happens here every year?" The magician suddenly asked.

"You mean the illegal one that's constantly moving its location and has some of the most rogue and brutal fighters participating in it? Yeah, Alexei participates in it every year. I happen to know where it'll be this year as well." The princess mentioned it as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

Regardless, it sparked a shimmer of excitement in Hisoka's eyes. He'd found what he was looking for.

 _Bingo._ The magician thought.

It was only until she looked up at him that she caught onto his intentions.

"... I could take you there if you'd like." She drawled.

Genuine glee adorned the magician's face as he cutely tilted his head. "I would like that very much."

The tired princess found herself scoffing at his childish act. "Do you just act cute so that people look past the fact that your interests are actually very violent?" She asked bluntly.

Hisoka remained unbothered as he coyly brought a finger to his chin and did another chibi face. "That depends," he brought his face closer and flashed her his most adorable smile " _is it workinnnnggg~?_ " He drawled childishly.

Sanura avoided eye contact as she felt the heat suddenly rise to her cheeks. "Tch. Just meet me tomorrow at 8 am at Zair station. I'll take you to the location of the fight club. It'll be an overnight trip so pack some clothes." She grumbled.

Hisoka finally backed away with a happy hum. "Sounds like a _date~_ I'll see you then." He started to walk off before turning back to give her a final wave. "Goodnight, Sanura."

The princess found herself blinking fitfully at his casual use of the word _date_. As she watched his figure fade, it took her a moment to process that she probably had to get used to his friendly persona.

Nevertheless, she envied how he seemed to effortlessly act so carefree.

Sanura rubbed her temple. "I need to have whatever he's on." She muttered under her breath.

She walked back into the building with any remaining thoughts of the magician quickly vanishing.


	7. Honeymoon

#  **CHAPTER SIX**

# Zair Station

**HISOKA** stood near the ticket booth of the train station in his typical attire and a suitcase in hand. Except this time he had a white crop top and a dark turquoise heart and diamond respectively on either side of his chest with his armbands and turtleneck matching in colour of said symbols. His harem pants were white as usual and he'd decided to wear his curled toe shoes that people liked to comment resembled a genie's. He'd figured heels would be too troublesome for the journey. And of course, there was his face paint where he'd decided on a fuchsia tear drop and turquoise star.

A few minutes later, he noticed Sanura approach him looking significantly less dolled up than the night before. She was wearing funny round sunglasses and a loose full sleeved black v-neck blouse that was tucked into her black harem pants with matching curled toe shoes. He figured she had borrowed the clothes from her friend.

She took off her sunglasses to rest on her head and her dull eyes looked up at the extravagant man who seemed as serene as ever. "You're here early." She commented.

As he gave her another once over, Hisoka casually noted her eyes were still encrusted with her naturally thick lashes, but her dark circles replaced the eyeshadow. Her raven hair was tied into a loose bun that didn't quite catch all the locks of hair that seemed to free fall perfectly around her face and revealed the cartilage and industrial piercing on her left ear.

"Oh. You have your hair up." The magician commented out loud. That's also when he noticed her parted bangs that reached just over her eyes. They seemed a bit uneven and rushed, as if she'd done them right after experiencing a meltdown— he thought they were cute.

The princess casually brushed off his impassive words and proceeded to hand him a train ticket. "Here's-"

"I like it." He said bluntly.

She frowned at his interruption until she realized he was talking about her hair. Blood threatened to rush to her cheeks and the tips of her ears at the sudden honesty.

For the short time she'd known Hisoka, the flamboyant man frequented on his whims and she could already tell the difference between his empty suggestiveness and genuine comments— even if that voice and personality of his made everything that left his mouth seem ambiguous.

She cleared her throat. "As I was saying, here's your ticket. We're heading to Telad Valley. In other words, we're going to the countryside." She informed him.

To Hisoka's amusement, he took notice that she was still wearing her ring as she handed him his ticket. He'd thought she only wore it last night for ceremonial purposes and would've taken it off by now.

Then again, he was still wearing his ring as well. But he convinced himself it was because it simply added to his look.

The magician stared at the destination on the ticket and maintained that grin that was practically tattooed to his face by now. "Sounds exciting." Then as a result of a mischievous whim, he looked back at the princess. "Say, Sanura... wouldn't you call this our honeymoon trip?" His eyes became slits as he smiled innocently.

The princess had her sunglasses back on, so the magician could only presume her eyes were actually on him as she turned to him. But her unimpressed look was still very visible.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A frightened man hurried into the large office where glass cases of rare and priceless weapons were put up on display and a large rug of animal skin laid in the center of the room.

Meanwhile, another man in his late twenties was sitting at the desk, his hands were clasped while he rested head down on the polished wood.

"Your highness, we found him based on the description from the guards. His name is Hisoka Morrow and he's a pro hunter." He spoke out of breath.

Tattooed knuckles cracked as the man gradually lifted his head at his assistant. His large icy blue eyes could've paralyzed someone from a mere deadly glance, and they were always emphasized with slightly smudged eyeliner.

His jet black hair was wavy and layered as it just surpassed his ears. It framed his sharp face where stubble had started to grow along his chin.

Prince Alexei was conventionally very attractive. But the same couldn't be said about his personality. "Show me." He commanded with a calm yet gruff tone.

The jittery man immediately stumbled to make his way to give the intimidating prince the papers. "H-he's known for his impulsive killing and he's a floor master at Heaven's Arena. There's footage of him eating his own arm during his battle with the floor master, Kastro— who he killed. He killed a Hunter examiner and word is that he massacred a bunch of pro hunters including Bushidora Ambitious who was a star blacklist hunter. He also killed another two star hunter— Terradain Neutral— right at his desk. Word on the street is that he was a member of the infamous Phantom Troupe as well. For all we know, he's even comparable to the Zodiacs. This man is a monster, sir."

Unaffected by the frightened man's words, the prince merely skimmed through the reports about Hisoka and his past killings.

After a moment of unspoken words and the sound of papers shuffling... to the assistant's horror, Alexei suddenly burst out into a hearty chuckle.

It was husky and seemed to reflect his amusement yet brought terrifying chills down the other man's spine. The prince was good at masking his aura and that's what made his reactions all the more unpredictable and indecipherable. Alexei was someone that could be very angry but made it seem like he was the most calm being until he cracked someone's neck with his bare hands.

"So... the desperate bitch ran off with a mass murderer." He commented with a relaxed demeanour. He paused before leaning forward with his elbows on the desk and chin on his inked knuckles. "And she eloped with him... a sneaky thing, isn't she?" His expression showed amusement and a sadistic grin that revealed his shiny pearls.

"They were spotted at Zair Station earlier this morning. What are your orders, sir?"

Prince Alexei silently mulled over the consequences of Sanura's actions. He knew that his reign here was temporary if she didn't eventually marry him— and that was a major problem. Plus, the way he saw it was that he owned her. Her father gave her away like she was just another poker chip placed for bet. Her abilities were quite useful and she was a very attractive woman. It had taken him longer to reel her in than it had to conquer countries.

"Where is the train taking them?" He inquired calmly.

"Telad Valley, sir."

Alexei's lips suddenly curled into a cocky grin. "Then I know where they're headed." He suddenly got up from his desk. "Send some of our best guards to hijack their train. Tell them to kill the circus freak and bring me the princess, ALIVE." He emphasized.

With Hisoka's history and Sanura's abilities, Alexei already knew they wouldn't be able to manage such a thing. But he was already planning to take matters into his own hands. The disposable guards were merely a way to send a little message.

 _You're mine, kitten._ He thought.

But before he could leave the room, his assistant hesitantly interrupted him. "Sir? We have the clerk that got them married in custody. What do you want us to do with her?"

"Kill her." The prince didn't even bother to spare his assistant a single glance as his words came out apathetic.


	8. Confessions of an Addict

#  **CHAPTER SEVEN**

# Train En Route

**THE FIRST** few hours of the train ride seemed to go by excruciatingly slow.

**_Two Hours In_ **

After getting some caffeine in her system, Sanura had listened intently to Hisoka reveal that the pink hatsu she saw had the properties of both rubber and gum— he called it bungee gum. Another name for it was "elastic love" which she thought was humorously fitting for his aesthetic.

"Bungee gum." She repeated thoughtfully as if there was something about it at the top of her head. "Isn't that an actual brand of gum? I don't think they sell it anymore though."

"Unfortunately, they don't." There was a layer of genuine disappointment and longing behind the magician's light voice.

Sanura observed Hisoka in awe as he fidgeted with the cards in his hands and gave them most of his attention. He seemed to do that when there was nothing else to keep himself busy, it was his constant distraction and past time.

That's when she realized his face paint matched the symbols on the bungee gum wrapper.

His complete look was just a variation of the two things he seemed to genuinely hold dear: bungee gum and his playing cards.

 _Cute._ The princess thought.

"I envy you." She admitted plainly.

This was enough to catch the magician's attention. His curious eyes went to her direction with a flicker of surprise in them. "Oh?" That was indeed a first for him.

Sanura casually placed a cushion on her side as she got ready to take a short nap (her and Hisoka were currently sharing a compartment where they sat across each other on couches). "Well, you're so frivolous and able to constantly distract yourself with cheap thrills. You seem to always have that energy to avoid wallowing in any sadness while I don't even have the energy to stay awake. It must be nice." She commented casually.

By then, she was lying down and her body was practically huddled into a ball. Before her eyes fluttered closed, the last thing she saw was Hisoka looking at her with a blank and unreadable expression.

**_Five Hours In_ **

Her nap lasted for three hours until she woke up to the magician sitting cross legged on the floor and giggling at a pile of cards that seemed like they had just collapsed from a structure.

Sanura paused when she felt an actual blanket on top of her. She glanced back at Hisoka who seemed like he was still in his own little world.

Had he put it there?

"Have a nice nap?" He suddenly asked.

The princess sat up. "Yeah." Was all she said.

She joined Hisoka on the floor and watched him start to rebuild his card tower.

The magician noticed her curious stare and suddenly felt his smirk grow. "Sanura, would you like to build a card tower?"

"Sure."

**_Six Hours In_ **

After an hour of constantly struggling to keep the cards up, Sanura had managed to make a decent card tower. Although, it wasn't as tall and magnificent as Hisoka's.

 _How does he have the will and patience for this?_ She thought.

Just like that, his tower collapsed with the tap of his finger. But it was the way his face lit up which confused the princess even more. It was the way he let out a brief "mmm" and laughed so heartily with his head thrown back and cat eyes turned into slits while his mouth hung wide open.

Whatever was humouring him, she could only think _good for him_.

Sanura looked back at her card tower which she had put her blood sweat and tears in. It was small and the foundation was probably weak enough to collapse at any moment.

"I see you've worked hard. Are you proud of it?" Hisoka had a strange glint in his eyes as he asked this, his body leaning forward.

"It's the best I could do. But yeah, I guess I'm pretty proud of it."

Without warning, the devious magician's finger flicked at her card tower and caused it to collapse. " _Oops_ ~ I guess I couldn't help myself." He snickered.

He carefully watched as Sanura's ebony irises looked up at him, but they were hard to read.

This was the result of another one of his mischievous whims. He let her build a card tower and watched her struggle with the full intent to destroy her hard work in hopes of earning her rage.

His eyes were daring her, as if to say ' _and what are you gonna do about it?'_

A moment passed where there was just silence and a strange tension between them.

Then the princess simply shrugged. "Oh well."

Hisoka's smirk immediately vanished at her anticlimactic reaction. Her indifference was enough to spark a deep irritation within him. Although, he had to admit such an attempt would've been futile regardless. Did she even have anything she truly cared about? Would threatening her clerk friend have done the trick?

Hell, even Illumi was more lively than her. All he had to do was threaten Killua and the assassin would've gone berserk on him.

But this woman... her lack of will repulsed him to the point he felt nauseated at the mere thought of fighting her.

On the other hand, if he didn't end up at least killing her she might just bore him to death first.

He could imagine his autopsy reports already. The medical examiner would be standing over his glorious body and be forced to write how the great Hisoka Morrow's cause of death ended up being brain damage from excessive boredom.

Like the fickle man he was, whatever curiosity he had for her started to fade.

Hisoka typically sorted everyone he knew into two categories: his potential opponents that he liked to call his toys; and the trash where the broken toys and disappointments went.

Consequently, his mental Sanura plushie was practically broken but still dangerously teetering between the trash can and his toy box since she still had a job to fulfil.

 _Just a few more hours. Once she gets me to the fight club I can be rid of her._ He convinced himself.

The magician cleared his throat and maintained his calm composure. "You're not upset with me?... no desire to rip my throat out?" He tried.

Sanura raised her brow in amusement and disbelief. "You're not exactly crying over your destroyed tower."

"Yes but I still _feel_ something..." Hisoka held his hands out enthusiastically "pleasure.... joy!" He closed his eyes with a childish grin.

"Well sorry I can't match your enthusiasm, but cards aren't my thing. They're yours." She said dismissively.

Hisoka let a dramatic sigh escape him before looking at his _corpse bride_ with a frown. "We're not even past our honeymoon and you're already beginning to bore me."

Seemingly unaffected by his words, Sanura lifted the chain around her neck which revealed a thin rectangular object that was attached to it and buried in her cleavage. "You want to see me feel something?" She held up the object before putting the tip of it in her mouth. She took a puff before blowing out mist.

The magician's curiosity was once again piqued. But so was his guard.

He used gyo to detect if there was any nen with the mist— but there wasn't.

The smell invaded his nose afterwards. _Cotton candy._ He noted with a pleasant surprise.

"I didn't know princesses vaped. I hear those aren't good for your lungs." He teased.

Despite his words, he wasn't judging. The magician honestly couldn't care less about what she did. He just thought it was rather amusing.

Hisoka watched in fascination as Sanura formed rings with her pouty lips and even inhaled the vape that left them and went into her nose.

Then he heard something he never thought would ever leave her mouth.

She laughed.

Just like her singing, it was practically music to his ears with how much of a ring it had to it. It was almost ironic how someone with such a beautiful voice also loved to do something that could possibly destroy it.

"I'm afraid I'm about to break whatever preconceived notion you have of princesses." She said with a smug grin. She took another puff. "It used to burn at first, but now..." her words drifted off as she seemed to be in thought.

Something about her demeanour was different. She was much more relaxed yet energized. She wasn't as guarded as she was moments before.

"It's all I have." She pointed a finger to her head. "The neuroscience of addiction... it starts out as binge and intoxication and my brain gets those fast surges of dopamine which makes me want more. The more I vaped, the more I desired that buzz. Then my ability to resist strong urges was weakened and the reward system in my brain is altered to the point I feel withdrawal when I'm not using and it becomes a default habit. They say it's because my emotional and reward circuits in the prefrontal brain regions become insensitive and it affects my self regulation and decision making."

There was a spike in her aura as she thought about the irritation she'd feel when she craved the drug in her vape. Her face became less recognizable and there was a marvellous craze to her eyes. This Sanura was an interesting turn from the one Hisoka had seen so far.

She chuckled darkly as a devilish grin painted her lips. "I get _very_ cranky. At this point, I just need it to take away that dysphoric feeling. Nothing else comes close to helping it, and it doesn't help that Alexei is a violent asshole. Of course, withdrawal subsides at some point... but it's still a bitch. A doctor may call it _dopaminergic blunting—_ having constant negative sensations that cause one to revisit a habit-forming pleasurable activity."

As the magician listened to her go on about her precious cotton candy vape, he couldn't help but think about the way he knew exactly what her descriptions felt like.

He couldn't help but think about the way her face and aura changed at the thought of withdrawal, the thought of needing to satisfy a craving so badly just to ease the pain and discomfort that came with it— it was almost uncanny to the face he made when he had his extreme surges of bloodlust and needed to kill someone regardless on if they were worthy opponents or just unfortunate bystanders.

The princess kept blowing the vape into his direction, so he was absentmindedly making shapes in it using his finger. He unconsciously made a heart that just so happened to surround her face from his perspective. "So you're an addict."

She carelessly blew more vape into his direction and chuckled. "Nowadays that word is thrown around so casually. But yes, Hisoka. I'm an addict."

The magician stayed silent until his golden eyes drifted to the bandages around both of her hands. She always seemed to have them on and his curiosity was pestering him to pry. Although, he already had an idea of who caused the injuries beneath.

Normally he wouldn't pay attention to such trivial things, but they still had a long ride ahead of them and he needed something to deal with his boredom.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you're going through so much trouble to get to this fight club?"

At this, Hisoka gave her a devious grin after he'd fiddled with her sunglasses and tried them on. "Isn't it obvious?"

As if on cue, the pair heard a crash and people screaming. Both of them could feel a sudden surge of aura that gave Sanura a bad feeling.

The princess slid the door of their compartment open and peeked into the hallway.

She saw a bunch of people running from the same direction which seemed to lead to the dining hall.

She stepped out, followed by Hisoka and briefly glanced at the direction the chaos was coming from.

"Princess!!" A hoarse voice called out from a distance.

Her eyes widened in recognition at the guard's voice. They were searching for her. "This is Alexei's doing. They're here for me."

The magician simply hummed as he made his way past her to lead the way.

When he noticed the stunned princess wasn't following, he glanced back at her with a grin. "Well, what are we waiting for? The real fun has just begun."

 _Finally some true excitement._ He thought.


	9. Sanura's Secret

#  **CHAPTER EIGHT**

# Train En Route

**SANURA** hesitantly followed Hisoka to the dining hall until they saw four very fit guards.

The princess glanced at the tattoos that stretched along their right arms— there was a bloody scythe that closely resembled the mark of Cain on all of them. Their uniforms were matching but the weapons along their belts were different. "Careful, these men were handpicked by Alexei himself. I'm pretty sure that one can conjure a sword." She whispered to Hisoka.

The magician took stock of the four men.

 _8.0, 8.5,.._ he glanced at the one that Sanura indicated was a conjurer, _8.5,_ finally his eyes slightly grew at the one on the far left _9.0... not bad._ He thought.

They seemed much more impressive than the poor excuse guards he'd dealt with before.

"Will you be okay with dealing with them yourself?" Sanura asked hesitantly. Her concern arose at the idea of Hisoka fighting all of them at once since she obviously didn't want to fight any of them herself. But she had a hunch that the magician would be able to hold his own.

Hisoka's eyes didn't leave the guards as a cocky yet hungry grin carved its way onto his lips. "It would be my pleasure."

"Princess, his highness wants you to come home." The strongest one said.

_'Come home'_

Sanura could've sworn she felt herself shiver at those very words. She felt like a pet being called back to her owner.

"Tell the bastard he can go fuck himself." She deadpanned.

A drop of sweat trickled down the guard's forehead while he was at a loss for words at Sanura's vulgarity. He definitely did not want to be the one to tell the prince that exact message.

Meanwhile, Hisoka had to put a hand over his own mouth to suppress his laughter. When it came to his royal travel companion, he admittedly didn't know what to expect from her reactions. But he was no longer complaining.

The guard Hisoka rated as 8.0 cleared his throat. "Princess, if you don't come with us peacefully, we'll have to take you by fo-" but before he could finish his sentence, there was already a card lodged into his throat. The other two guards' eyes widened in shock as blood spurted out of his neck before he dropped dead. They glanced back at the smug magician who had already started to shuffle his cards.

Even Sanura found herself blinking in shock. _That throw was abnormally swift. He managed to get the card to reach his throat faster than the average human can blink. Even a pro hunter would find it difficult to catch. But he managed to catch them off guard as well._ She thought.

Hisoka snickered. "Unfortunately your friend didn't make the grade. But you three," he pointed three fingers in their direction "I can work with."

The conjurer had already conjured his sword and made his way to Hisoka, indicating the start of the fight.

Hisoka got into stance and dodged when the guard swung. The other 8.5 was quick to follow with an enhanced punch.

Fortunately, Hisoka was able to use ken and then block the punch with his arm.

 _So he's an enhancer... that leaves.._ Hisoka's eyes briefly drifted to the one he gave 9.0 points. He was in a basic fight stance but he seemed to be waiting to see if his comrades could take care of the magician themselves.

The enhancer immediately moved out of Hisoka's way. _That means he expects the conjurer to attack me next._ Hisoka moved out of the way before the sword could slice off his head and attached bungee gum to the swordsman's feet, forcing him in place.

Sanura had made herself comfortable at one of the dining tables and was doing vape tricks as she watched the magician in his element. She couldn't help but feel guilty for putting him in such a position and not helping him fight. After all, it was three against one.

But then the princess saw something that unconsciously caused a soft smile to creep onto her features.

It was the genuine and strangely endearing glee on Hisoka's face.

She observed the ecstatic gleam in his eyes while a childish yet sadistic grin adorned his lips and he gracefully sliced the conjurer's throat with his card. Although, it seemed like Hisoka had experienced much more challenging matches than this.

It intrigued her to see someone look so content as he was doing something he loved, something he was clearly passionate about. She had almost forgotten what that felt like. 

_Awe, he looks so happy._ She thought.

She watched as the enhancer just barely dodged the card attacks until one grazed his dominant arm. 

"Screw this." 9.0 points muttered. He took out two round blades that suddenly started to spin like saws. He started to throw one once the enhancer moved out of the way.

But Hisoka used bungee gum to catch the spinning blade.

The enhancer decided to let the other guard deal with Hisoka and he made his way towards the princess.

 _Let him deal with the freak. I'll just take her and go._ He thought.

As Sanura noticed him making his way to her, she looked over at Hisoka and realized the magician's attention was fully on the strongest guard. Hisoka had managed to launch the blade back, only for the guard to catch it.

So the princess suddenly blew vape out of her mouth. Except this time there was much more of it and it was headed straight towards the enhancer.

The mist snaked around the confused guard, but all his defences fell and he was forced in a state of zetsu once he smelled the intoxicating cotton candy scent. A dumb smile formed on his lips and he was clearly out of it.

That's when he started choking.

Hisoka and the guard briefly stopped fighting to see what was happening.

The mist immediately travelled its way up his nose and mouth and the guard started to suffocate. He fell to his knees and his eyes rolled back into his head as he held his neck for dear life.

Hisoka watched with fascination and his sadistic grin grew as purple veins branched along the man's face and his eyes went completely red.

 _So this was what she was hiding._ The magician thought.

Then he dropped dead right in front of the indifferent princess.

"P-princess..." the last guard was so shocked he didn't see the card that went straight into his chest and Hisoka pushed it in further until blood spouted out of the man's mouth.

"You should really pay attention to your opponent when you're still in battle. You're all quite strong but your mental capabilities are weak. A battle requires strategy and sound mind as well." The magician tsk'd with a sly grin. He figured it had to do with them being soldiers that only knew how to follow orders and worship the chain of command. With that, the man became another corpse. Hisoka turned to the princess who was already sending him a skeptical look. "And it seems like you've been hiding things from me." He pointed at her.

To her surprise, the magician didn't seem angry with her. She was initially worried that he'd feel somewhat betrayed since they were supposed to be allies.

But his expression simply screamed _'I knew it.'_

"You let him get to me on purpose, didn't you?" She inquired in a bored yet calculating manner. "You could've killed him before he reached me."

 _Ding ding._ Hisoka thought with a smirk.

"Well if I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten the pleasure to see your second ability." He paused. "You're a specialist, aren't you?"

Since both her abilities were out in the open, she figured it was inevitable she had to explain it all to him now. The truth was that she'd been hesitant to let her guard down since she barely knew him enough to trust him. Not even Alexei was aware of her second hatsu.

 _Then again, we're literally married. So how much closer can we get?_ She thought ironically.

The princess sighed in defeat and gave him a sheepish smile that held some of her genuine guilt. "How about I explain everything to you after dinner?" She tried.

The now bloodstained magician closed his eyes and flashed her his adorable grin. " _Okay~_ " He chirped.

"By the way you got a little..." Sanura pointed at her nose to indicate that Hisoka had blood splattered there.

But the magician feigned a clueless look.

"Just.. let me do it then." She gestured for him to bring his face closer until her hands could reach it. She felt his eyes on her as she used her sleeve to wipe the blood off his nose and cheek. "There. Your clothes are stained too. You should probably wash up." She muttered softly without making eye contact.

But Hisoka didn't move away.

So she raised a questioning brow and looked him dead in the eyes. "Hisoka, you can move now." She said casually.

So he did.  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After apologizing to the conductor for the mess and Hisoka showing his Hunter's license to be pardoned, Sanura got Hisoka to help her throw the corpses off the train and help remove any broken tables from the fight. It made sense that the conductor didn't recognize her as the princess since people rarely saw her face and she was using Hisoka's last name as an alias.

The conductor was surprisingly forgiving but that probably had something to do with Hisoka not even bothering to hide his leftover bloodlust.

After that, the pair took showers in the train's luxury washrooms. Sanura ended up finishing before Hisoka and waited for him in their compartment wearing a tank top and pyjama pants. Her hair was still damp and wavier than usual and she was re-bandaging her palms and arms.

Hisoka slid the door open and walked in. When she looked up, his face paint was gone and his mint hair was down. It was long enough for him to have a slight mullet and he was wearing slippers with sweatpants.

Sanura didn't even bother to comment on why he wasn't wearing a shirt. She figured he probably didn't own one that he slept in.

She was more focused on how surprisingly average he looked without his typical getup.

Hisoka noticed that she was still bandaging one of her arms and his curiosity for them was once again piqued. "Need help?"

She looked up at him and silently held out her arm for him to bandage.

The magician held her partially bandaged arm and found himself staring at the scars. There were second degree burns stretching from what he presumed was half her palm up to her elbow. The skin was a mix of charred and colourless.

His thumb unconsciously caressed the surface of the burns, following the texture like it was a map and maintaining a blank expression. The crisp and flaky skin alongside the blisters didn't seem to bother him though.

"I know. It's pretty nasty, isn't it?" Sanura did her best to sound unbothered as she smiled sarcastically. "Courtesy of prince Alexei."

Hisoka's expression went back to his typical smug one. "Perhaps I'm crossing a line, but you've made it abundantly clear that you can take care of yourself. So why let him do such things to you?" Despite his lighthearted tone, he genuinely wanted to know for the sake of his curiosity and as an attempt to understand Sanura's motives and intentions. Just when he thought he had a good read on her, she never failed to surprise him. This irked yet intrigued him to no end because Hisoka was usually very perceptive.

"I already told you. If I hurt him he's just going to pin the whole thing on me. _Sweet suffocation_ is as lethal as instant death and he has a way of resisting siren's call."

 _So that's what she calls her second hatsu... 'sweet suffocation.'_ Hisoka noted. "And how exactly does he resist it?"

This time, the princess didn't answer. But it wasn't because she didn't want Hisoka knowing her weakness.

The magician noticed her reluctance but maintained his patience. He simply raised his brow to prod for an answer.

"Since you know I'm a specialist, then you know I have conditions." She started. "Siren's call makes people feel and do things against their will. It's dangerous because it violates the simplest freedom— the freedom of choice." She croaked. "So my condition is that I can't use it without getting consent from people that I..."

She trailed off, but that's when Hisoka had already figured it out.

"There's a part of you that still feels for him and that's what's keeping you from using it on him without his permission... because your condition is that you can't violate someone you love like that." He concluded for her.

Sanura glanced at Hisoka who now had a serious look. Naturally, his observation was spot on. She thought for someone who had such peculiar social skills, his emotional intelligence was exceptionally high. Of course, that should've been a given when she'd found out he created a personality test based on nen type and called her out to be independent and charismatic as a specialist. Although, she didn't consider herself as very charismatic. "He's still a toxic piece of shit." She admitted with a deadpan.

The corners of the magician's lips curled at that. Even now, he could see she was just trying to brush it off with a dry insult. "I can help with this, you know." He pointed at her arm. "I can get rid of them."

The princess' eyes widened in surprise and curiosity. Did he have a healing ability? "... you can?"

Hisoka merely sent her an innocent smile before gently sandwiching her wrist between his large hands. " _But you'll have to close your eyes first~_ " He sang.

"Hisoka.." Sanura warned.

"It won't hurt, I promise. Just think of it as a magic trick." His enthusiastic grin softened and Sanura watched as something flickered within those enchanting eyes: sincerity.

She didn't even realize that his face was much closer now. She could practically feel his breath fanning her lips. It was warm against her damp skin. But there was just enough distance where he'd just breached her personal space.

"Close your eyes." He whispered in a more sultry manner.

So she did.

After gently removing her bandages, the magician's eyes never left her face as he made sure she wasn't looking. He brought out a piece of cloth and delicately placed it along her arm. He figured she'd probably be able to feel it, but that's what he thought made the deceit of texture surprise so exciting. Just a touch, and it's revealed as a flimsy lie.

His hold started around her palm. In a languid motion, his hand slid down her palm... then to her wrist. By the time he passed her wrist, his hand moved achingly slow up the rest of her arm.

To Hisoka's fascination, she hardly seemed to show much reaction. The average person would've squirmed or been flustered at how relaxing and sensual his touch was. He put the pieces together and figured it was nerve damage.

 _Interesting. So she can't feel much._ He thought.

Sanura felt herself suck in a breath as she wondered what he was doing. Her burns indeed damaged some nerves which kept her from feeling too much on her arms but she could've sworn she felt the slight ticklish caress, as if he were dragging a feather along her arm. She didn't show it, but whatever he was doing felt really nice. It was times like this where she was thankful that her nerves weren't completely damaged so she could still feel some things.

Then the relaxing touch was gone.

Sanura slowly opened her eyes to see a smug Hisoka grinning ear to ear and gesturing for her to check her arm.

She gasped in awe once she saw her arm and hand seemingly normal with healthy looking skin.

The magician hummed happily at her reaction and waved his hands as if he were a proud child at a talent show. " _All gone~_ "


	10. Happiness

#  **CHAPTER NINE**

# Train En Route

**AS THEY** had dinner in their compartment, Sanura couldn't help but stare at her arms that were resting on her crossed legs the whole time. After the first one, Hisoka had done her other arm right in front of her and revealed his second ability. "... texture surprise... was that another snack?" Her eyes never left the camouflaged cloth that was stuck around her arms.

Hisoka took a sip of his water. "They also came with novelty gag stickers." He remarked.

Her fingers briefly touched the deceptive fabric and she couldn't help but scoff in amusement. "Flimsy lies, eh? I can only imagine its multiple uses. You can really reproduce anything on a flat surface?"

" _Mhm~_ human and animal skins, plants, metals, mineral fabrics, dyes, pencil markings— really anything." The magician stated casually as he took another bite of his food.

Sanura's eyes widened with childish curiosity. "What about recreating human faces. Can you create masks?"

Hisoka hummed dismissively without bothering to give her a glance. "I suppose so."

"Holy shit." She blurted out with a subtle gasp. Sanura couldn't help but be amazed at the fact that the man before her was like a human photocopier and he clearly had high ingenuity.

The magician felt a confident smirk tug at his lips at her awe. He felt accomplished to see that he was the reason the insouciant princess was marvelling at his magic trick like an astonished child.

"I believe it's your turn to reveal some of your tricks." He referred to her hatsu.

The princess looked up at Hisoka with a more serious expression. "When I told you about siren's call, I wasn't lying when I mentioned it was temporary manipulation.. but I may have omitted some details." She said with a hint of guilt.

 _Figured as much._ Hisoka thought.

"At the end of the day, a person's emotions and sensations are still a result of science." She pointed at her head. "The neurochemical reactions and processes in our brain are what lead to how we react and feel. I used to love singing and people would tell me it made them feel really good. I could make people excited or relaxed depending on what I sang... turns out music releases endorphins in the brain. It can both heighten excitement and ease pain or anxiety. Have you ever felt such pleasure when you listen to music that it gave you chills?" She asked impassively.

The shirtless magician hummed. "Perhaps not as much as the avid music lover but I've felt firsthand what your voice can do." He smirked.

"When people think of arousal they tend to associate it with sex. But arousal is just a physiological state of our body and our brain can process any adrenaline and excitement to become pleasure. The blood rushes to certain areas and your cortisol levels increase. Hell, one could even get an orgasm during childbirth or while exercising. Then there's drugs that can cause one from merely taking them." She grinned sheepishly. "I should know about that one. In my senior year, I bought something from this classmate without knowing much about it and the next thing I knew— I climaxed on the way home. Hehe, I definitely used that one for a while." The princess looked out to nothing and had a careless grin on her scarlet lips as if she was reminiscing on something hilarious. "So while my classmates were out partying and having sex with actual people, the only orgasms I got were from popping pills." The princess seemed to be in a daydream as she spoke.

The magician's brow noticeably jumped in amusement at hearing about this, his eyes sparkling with mirth and a growing fascination with the princess. Suddenly the seemingly lifeless woman before him had become a _lot_ more interesting.

Hisoka suddenly had a comical image of an introverted high school Sanura secretly taking whatever made her feel high or gave her an orgasm between classes.

Then she snapped herself out of her brief trance. "Also there was a boy in my class who was so anxious about our test that his body felt too much excitement and he got hard. So what I'm trying to get at is that siren's call doesn't just have the ability to calm someone, it can arouse them either non sexually or sexually. Adrenaline and excitement also occur with fear. And that excitement during fear can ironically become pleasure. That's why roller coasters and horror movies arouse some people. But humans are very complex creatures. What's considered a pleasurable activity depends on the person, just like not everyone is a fan of horror and roller coasters."

The princess looked to Hisoka who was intently latching onto her every word as he silently listened. He clearly seemed to be digesting the information quickly. "So your singing controls people's excitement which includes fear as well." He caught on.

"I can alter people's brains into feeling fear to the point they become neurotic. Such reactions can have long term effects which means even after I stop singing, they could already start to drift to insanity or die because they can't handle too much fear. Just to test my abilities, Alexei had me sing for a criminal that ended up needing psychiatric help after I was done. I was no longer manipulating him but the chemicals in his brain were already altered so it had lasting effects and eventually killed him."

This caught Hisoka's attention. "So your ability to manipulate people's actions is temporary but what you make them feel may not be." He concluded.

Sanura noticed a sparkle in the magician's eyes as he wildly smiled in astonishment. There was that childish curiosity of his. But something told her there was more to it. The excitement in his eyes when she mentioned she could drive someone to insanity with a musical note had something to do with his own passion.

"And what about sweet suffocation? I assume that comes from your sweet addiction." He referred to her cotton candy vape.

"It's less complex and pretty straight forward." She shrugged. "The vape I create from my aura surrounds the person and the cotton candy scent induces them in a relaxed and defenceless state. It enforces zetsu, which as you know renders nen abilities useless since it forces the user to shut off their aura. Obviously I can change the flavour from cotton candy to something else that smells nice and it'll still have the same effect. But I'd have to actually vape that flavour and take at least one puff before activating my hatsu. Once they're vulnerable, the vape enters their airways and straight to their lungs. It suffocates them almost instantly and they die. The reason I don't want to use it is because of how lethal it is, and Alexei never found out about it."

"And yet you're the one that created such an ability." Hisoka taunted with a smug grin. He had to admit that such a lethal hatsu was impressive. But the downside was that instant death meant not much room for an actual fight and this ability lacked versatility.

Sanura merely replied with a shrug. If she was being honest, she wasn't sure how to explain her choice of hatsu because she didn't know the answer herself. "So are you going to tell me about your own addiction?" She changed the subject.

Hisoka raised his brow in amusement. "What makes you say that?"

"I know an addict when I see one." She deadpanned.

The magician snickered at this. _What_ _is_ _this, a support group?_ He thought mockingly.

But Hisoka was never one to shy away from admitting his tendencies, so what the hell. He knew it was problematic, he just no longer cared. The moment he gave in, he allowed himself to be controlled by the promise of reward and gratification. Resisting was much too tiring.

He leaned back into the soft seat. "Well, you already know what it's like to constantly go back to something once you get a taste of how it makes you feel." Hisoka shamelessly licked his lips at the mere thought. "No matter how unhealthy, you just can't get yourself to stop. Want becomes need and it starts to eat away at your sanity. It becomes a habit that's ingrained into your system, your daily routine... and suddenly you can't live without it." He trailed off. "It invades every waking thought, painfully reminding you that you have a chance to feel that pleasure again, that anticipation for the next fix." He paused. "And you start to ask yourself— if it's so bad, why does it make me feel so good? Why should I sacrifice my needs and be considerate for those that get to satisfy their own selfish desires? At the end of the day, humans are inherently selfish." Hisoka's vibrant eyes flashed at the princess with growing excitement and hunger. "Since the dawn of time, man has been programmed with these very instincts for self preservation. We hunt to live and live to hunt. What I hunt is different from what others hunt but it brings us all the same thing— happiness and fulfilment." He finished with a cute grin that made his eyes crinkle into crescents.

Sanura remained calm as she noticed the way Hisoka's sharp nails were starting to scratch the surface of the couch. She could just start to feel the bloodlust that was beginning to leak from him. Her brows raised in amusement. "Spoken like a true hunter."

"I simply aim to destroy those that can put up a good fight. The more capable, the more delicious their downfall. The stronger their spirit, the more fun it is to break during battle." He practically shivered at the thought. "That moment their confidence cracks and they realize they're about to meet their inevitable end. And then that feeling.... knowing I got to be the one to make them feel so insignificant despite how competent they truly were." His voice was starting to shake from his erratic breathing. "Ah, it's such a satisfying feeling." Just the mere thought of breaking his toys in battle had caused the blood to rush down to his lower region as his pants tightened and he shamelessly licked his lips with malice. "A one sided slaughter is rather boring, don't you think?"

It wasn't to say that he never impulsively killed weak people. Sometimes he had ulterior benefits to a particular person's death. Other times, withdrawal was just a bitch— his abnormal level of bloodlust became the cost of his addiction. Worthy opponents weren't exactly lying around in plain sight and Hisoka typically liked to have standards for his prey, so he didn't get to fight as often as he desired.

The magician was suddenly so lost in his pleasurable thoughts, he didn't realize how unaffected the princess was when she saw his boner. Instead, she was beginning to understand why he enjoyed destroying his card towers so much. It was the same drive that kept him on a leash and trapped in such a vicious cycle to fight and kill.

He was a true warrior that took pleasure in a fierce battle with capable opponents because what he desired was a challenge. Maybe even have the odds stacked against him just to bring up the heat. Growing up in a kingdom that valued combat and desensitized killing, she was no stranger to the appeal of overpowering a worthy opponent. Fighting brought out that less attractive part of a human's primal instincts— hurt people enough without consequences and it became an invigorating rush. It was why she wasn't ashamed to acknowledge that she'd felt it a few times and seen Alexei experience it on numerous occasions without remorse. She had also seen cases of people getting boners for less exciting things, so Hisoka didn't faze her.

The magician seemed to view all his fights the same: a glorified execution to give him that adrenaline, that euphoric pleasure. She would've bet that he didn't even remember the people he killed. Once they met their purpose, their existence vanished from his memory. All he did was anticipate his next hit like she carelessly anticipated her next puff.

"What if you lost a fight?" She suddenly asked.

This was enough to briefly snap the magician out of his trance. It was an odd question because Hisoka never lost a fight (at least not unintentionally). "Why waste time on such useless thoughts?"

The princess kept herself from rolling her eyes at his cockiness. "Well, you inevitably chase the high of defeating your opponents. That's what you initially became addicted to, so what happens when you can't achieve it? My father ended up gambling away my life because he was a gambling addict, and he initially chased the high of winning. But at some point he stopped caring about winning and it was gambling itself he became addicted to... even if he kept losing money."

Hisoka casually hummed at this as if he were in deep thought. "Well, I've _never_ lost so I wouldn't know." The words shamelessly escaped him.

Then the unexpected happened.

 _Oh no._ He mentally moaned.

A wave of bloodlust suddenly burst from Hisoka's direction and Sanura watched in shock and slight intrigue as his face morphed into something unrecognizable.

It was hardly human.

His eyes drowned in very prominent dark circles and his expression somehow darkened as his pupils dilated and his eyelids became hooded.

His nails had dug deep enough to enter the cushion of his seat and his lips stretched into a chilling grin where he bared his teeth.

 _Oh all this talk about breaking and killing has gotten me all worked up. Gotta get a grip._ He licked his lips.

His eyes rolled back at his lack of control. In contrast to his conflicted thoughts, his sinister grin only grew.

His heart rate had accelerated and it felt as though the oxygen was stolen from his lungs. His arms and legs slightly twitched and he felt his nails dig further into the seat. Logic was starting to slip from his mind as he felt himself start to lose control of his motor functions. His innate craving was back.

He needed to kill someone.

"Hisoka.." Sanura spoke cautiously as she got up from her seat.

But the magician avoided eye contact. _This is bad. I can't kill her. I still need her to take me to the fight club._ He thought.

On the other hand, his fingers were itching to take out a card and just slice her throat then and there. He ended up giggling at how hysterical he was starting to feel.

He could sense the princess dare to take a step towards him.

Hisoka's puffy eyes immediately looked up at her calm ones and his devilish smirk grew. "Sanura, I wouldn't take another step if I were you. It's not wise to be near me right now." His words came out a growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Hisoka speaking as if he were at a support group is actually very comical to me JSGVHJDVJHDV


	11. Hisoka's Bloodlust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol this chapter is actually inspired by Hisoka's lil bloodlust incident on Zevil Island

#  **CHAPTER TEN**

# Train En Route

**IF IT** weren't for her ten, Sanura was sure that Hisoka's bloodlust would've made her shiver. The amount he was releasing was almost suffocating.

She carefully observed the deranged man before her. His face was hardly recognizable and he suddenly looked sleep deprived. He was like a wild animal that hadn't been fed in days and was ready to pounce at any moment.

 _So this is his withdrawal._ She thought.

She bravely took another step which caused Hisoka's fingers to twitch. "Sanura... I'm being serious. I don't want to kill you right now." He rasped with that twisted grin that seemed to be stitched to his face.

She could tell by the way his breath was shaking that it was taking him immense restraint not to hurt her.

Suddenly the bloodthirsty magician's eyes slid to the door. Sanura followed his gaze to realize he could sense someone was about to pass their compartment.

With Hisoka's current state, it was a guarantee he was going to ravage whichever poor soul reached his line of sight.

Killing wasn't something that bothered Sanura. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try to avoid it if she saw an alternative.

The magician and the princess were thinking the same thing as they both stared at the door.

And then they both bolted for it.

By just a millisecond, Sanura beat Hisoka as her back reached the door and she immediately locked it. She was now acting as a human shield between him and the sliding door.

Hisoka stood in front of her with his grim look and suddenly snickered. " _Sanura_ ~" he sang "you're in my way." Despite his smirk, his sunken eyes were aggressively burning into hers. Hisoka was starting to lose his patience and the ability to resist tearing out her throat. She noticed the way his hands were shaking and balled into fists.

His sharp nails had dug into his own palms and caused blood to seep through his fingers.

Sanura felt a pang in her chest at seeing the self inflicting harm. "Hisoka, I can help you." She tried to keep her voice firm and unwavering. But there was a falter.

"Hm?" Hisoka looked at her straight face, but he could tell it was just a facade. For once he actually saw something in those lifeless eyes.

Concern.

But it wasn't for her own life. It was for him.

This caused the magician to cover his face and burst out in laughter that resembled a raspy cackle.

He wasn't in his right mind, his throat felt dry, his body felt hollow, he felt lightheaded, and he was absolutely delirious. But most of all, he was in hysterical disbelief.

He took his hand off his face which now had some blood smeared along the sides. "You want to die _that badly~?_ " He asked in his disturbingly sweet tone. In one swift motion, a card was held at her throat and just grazing her skin. His figure towered over her with his free hand meeting the wall beside her, trapping her between him and the door. "Honestly Sanura, it's starting to get pathetic." He spat. His change in tone was like a switch, there was nothing sweet or polite about it this time— just pure venom dripping from his tongue. What else was he supposed to expect? He saw it from the moment they met.

She was broken.

And Hisoka didn't do broken toys.

Yet here he was getting ready to give her a pep talk so that she could at least stop him from killing her at this very moment. "You should give yourself more credit. I've met many damaged souls but no one as strangely stubborn as you. Why do you think you're still alive even after dealing with your dictator prince, hm? You may not care what happens to you but sometimes feeling something— even if it's anger or pain— is better than being a walking corpse. It can even motivate you to find happiness for yourself because you'll realize you deserve better." He pressed the card further into her skin. "So last chance.... are you going to let me go or will I have to kill you?" His glare was trying to pierce his way into whatever was left of her soul.

But the princess didn't flinch at his actions and she was even looking at him with a cold and hard stare. She stubbornly shortened the minimal space between their faces, not caring that his card was digging even further into her neck— just so that that her next words would hit him a little harder. "I can sing away your bloodlust, idiot." She scolded lowly.

And indeed her words hit him.

They caused a momentary silence that seemed as if they had just ricocheted through the atmosphere.

Then the tension between them became awkward very quickly.

 _Oh that's right... she can do that._ He thought. The delirious magician snickered. "Well, _why didn't you say something sooner~?_ "

Sanura's irritated expression melted into an unimpressed one. He was a fickle man indeed.

But his little speech stuck to her because behind the blood craze there was something about it that seemed like he actually meant what he said.

And that's what had her heart beating just a tad quicker.

Meanwhile, Hisoka was trying to will himself to move the card from her neck. But all his hand did was shake. He was reaching his limit for restraint and his body refused to listen to him. He could practically feel her pulse.

 _Ah, it's getting harder to resist._ He thought. His head was pounding and his body was begging him to give in. He didn't just crave it, he needed it in his system. The magician had to keep himself from laughing to ease the direness of his situation.

He couldn't afford to give in like he usually did.

 _Think about the fight club. Think about the fight club. I can control myself until then._ He reminded himself.

Hisoka solemnly brought his face beside the princess' ear as his ravenous grin uncontrollably grew. "Well, you better start _singing~_ , because I don't think I can hold back much longer." He whispered with delight laced in his shaky words.

So Sanura did just that.

She decided to hum the lullaby she'd used to lure him to her, because she was going to put him to sleep. With the little room her neck had, she sucked in a breath before Hisoka was once again graced with her beautiful voice.

The musical notes wrapped around him as if it were a warm embrace. Her voice was like a symphony inside his head and he was her only audience and admirer.

As she sang, Sanura watched Hisoka's face gradually soften and his bloodlust and hostility began to dissipate. He was no longer oozing ren and he was gazing at her with dilated pupils and a dreamy smile.

Hisoka's mind was once again foggy and he felt his limbs relax alongside his craving. Even the second time around, her singing made him feel like he was completely drunk. The hand that had held a card against Sanura's neck fell limp. Next were his legs.

Sanura's eyes subtly widened as the tall man suddenly collapsed onto her, forcing her to catch him into her embrace. But she could feel his weight crushing her as his barely conscious body became a rag doll in her arms while his face was consequently buried into her shoulder.

 _Goddamn, this man is heavy._ She mentally grumbled as she struggled to keep him up.

Her own knees gave way and suddenly she was sitting on the ground with her arms around Hisoka's head as it landed comfortably in her lap.

But she didn't stop singing.

The sleepy magician was out of it and felt his eyelids grow heavy. As he watched her sing to him in his sedated state, he couldn't help but admire the way the light hit her just right. Her already attractive features were contoured and emphasized with shadows.

In that moment, she seemed like a real angel. Hisoka could've sworn he saw a halo form on top of her head.

"Beautiful." He whispered in awe.

The magician's words weren't meant to be surprising nor genuine. Infatuation was a common effect from siren's call being used to calm people. But even if it was just the result of her altering his brain chemistry, the princess couldn't help but feel her cheeks redden.

And her rosy complexion became the last thing Hisoka saw before he finally drifted off to sleep.

By then, Sanura had stopped singing and she merely admired the way Hisoka looked so calm and peaceful as he slept in her arms. For once, he looked harmless. The princess took the initiative to wipe away the blood that was on his face.

Her hand unconsciously combed through his dyed hair which was surprisingly soft against her fingers.

She suddenly smiled at the thought of catching him drooling or snoring in his sleep. Her free hand made its way beneath his chin and she squished the sleeping magician's cheeks and childishly giggled at the sight. It was even funnier because his slumber was so deep, he didn't react one bit.

Then she reminded herself she probably shouldn't be making fun of him while he slept.

She thought about how someone she hardly knew for twenty four hours had suddenly become so endearing to her. In spite of their differences they understood something about each other that others couldn't. Sure she thought he was occasionally irritating but he was pretty good company too.

"Goodnight, Hisoka." With that, the princess fell asleep in her sitting position with his head still in her lap.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When Sanura opened her eyes, there was bright light streaming through the windows of the train and her back sort of ached.

Her brows furrowed when she realized she was lying on the couch of their compartment and there was a blanket covering her. In her disoriented state, she immediately sat up and stared down at her arms and palms which were bandaged again.

For a moment, she was starting to wonder if she had somehow escaped Alexei herself and hallucinated a homicidal magician that liked to dress up as a jester. Considering she'd been locked up and abused like a prisoner, she wouldn't discredit the idea.

Then the door to their compartment slid open and Hisoka obliterated such thoughts as he entered in his typical attire with his hair up. His expression perked up when he saw her. "Oh, you're awake. Good morning." He smiled at her with his crinkled crescent eyes. "I hope you slept well. Your position didn't look very comfortable so I moved you." He said proudly. When he saw her dumbfounded look and dishevelled hair, he couldn't help but tease her with his childish smile. "Aren't you _cute_ with your bed head. I wasn't aware vampires could sleep so peacefully." Hisoka thought it was so comical that Sanura just happened to have abnormally pale skin, purplish dark circles, ink hair, and naturally red lips. Hell, she apparently always wore sunglasses during the day due to her sensitive eyes, was constantly napping, and she always seemed to be brooding as if she'd been tormented for centuries.

Sanura blinked fitfully before adjusting to the fact that she didn't hallucinate Hisoka after all. His mint hair was abnormally vibrant in the sunlight and he looked just as bizarre yet elegant as usual— but she admittedly liked this look. It was unique and it was just so... _him_. "Uhm, yeah I slept fine." She rubbed the nape of her neck only to feel a bandage around her neck as well.

Hisoka noticed her confusion and decided to fill in the blanks for her. "Sorry about that." He referred to his card cutting her neck last night. "I wanted to thank you for what you did. Your ability is very impressive and useful. Maybe I should just come to you whenever I get too _excited~_ " he beamed with a cute chibi face. "I hardly grazed you but it's better to cover the cut so that it won't get infected. Although, I'm confident it'll heal quickly." He sat in his seat and pointed at the tray in front of her. "I ordered you breakfast too. I've noticed you'd hardly touched your dinner and you didn't really eat anything else yesterday."

At this, Sanura grimaced. "I don't really have much of an appetite." No matter what food it was, everything just tasted bland to her. Whatever joy a normal person was supposed to feel or salivate for— she didn't feel it. The princess had never ended up finishing her meals. If she got hungry, she'd immediately regret it after one bite.

Hisoka hummed. "I figured as much so I didn't get you a solid meal. You know if you ask nicely, I'll even let you have some of my _blood~_ " He said with a cute expression. When the princess looked unamused with his joke, his finger pushed the glass of water towards her. "At least drink something. I also saw cotton candy ice cream on the menu which I thought you might like."

The princess eyed the bubbly magician strangely as she sat in her seat. Both because she wasn't used to receiving such treatment and because Hisoka was suddenly being too nice. Her eyes drifted to his hands. The red marks that were supposed to be on his palms seemed non existent. But she suspected he'd used texture surprise to hide them.

"C'mon, _no one likes a depressed princess~_ "

 _Spoke too soon._ She mentally grumbled at his insensitive comment.

She couldn't even be offended because she knew he was right. It wasn't like she wasn't aware that her lack of will and self care was repulsive, she just couldn't help it. The servants usually had to coerce her into dressing up and eating her meals. She also wasn't ignorant to the fact that her mood was clearly dampening Hisoka's vibe. But even if she felt bad, apologizing to him wasn't going to change anything. "I don't think depression is supposed to be attractive." She mumbled while blankly staring at her food.

Hisoka's smile faltered and he was jarred into silence. As the magician analyzed her gloomier than normal state, he realized perhaps he'd gone too far with the teasing. How was he even supposed to reply to that?

But after a short moment, he cleared his throat. "We're going to reach Telad station soon. I still think you should eat." He continued gently with a complacent grin.

She curiously raised her brow at him. "Who are you, my mom?" She dryly joked.

"No silly, I'm your _husband~_ "

Sanura immediately choked on her water and had a small coughing fit. By the time she looked up at the mischievous magician, his eyes were slits and he was giving her a cheeky grin.

Hisoka was just in a really good mood. No, he was almost ecstatic.

The air felt clearer, the sun shined brilliantly, and he could hardly contain his excitement or giddiness. The magician could feel his heart start to throb and the blood rushing through his veins, causing a tingling sensation to caress his skin at just the mere anticipation because after days of searching...

the fight club was just within his reach and he was hopefully going to have some new toys.


	12. Fate

#  **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

# Telad Valley

**WITHIN** the next hour, Sanura had changed from the pyjamas she'd borrowed from her friend and was dressed in her clothes from the day before. To the magician's pleasant surprise, her hair was up in a messy bun again.

She and Hisoka even had time to spare for one game of cards. She'd given him an unimpressed look when she realized he was cheating.

Her eyes narrowed as she slammed her deck down. "You used texture surprise on that card, didn't you?" She accused.

The sneaky magician had merely snickered at her accusation and tried to appease her with a childishly sheepish smile that only confirmed his guilt. "Who, _me~?_ " He was trying to feign innocence.

The princess had even humoured him with some actual vape tricks and then revealed that she could make and manipulate moving shapes from the vape she created through transmutation which she did for the sake of entertainment and storytelling. She found his childish curiosity cute as he awed at the nebulous dragon and knight that she'd made fight. To her surprise, the magician wasn't very familiar with some of the stories she'd grown up with.

" _Alice in Wonderland?"_

_"Nope~"_

_"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"_

_"I presume it's about a strange case."_

Ironically, the princess thought he would've fit perfectly into both stories.

"You haven't heard of _The Princess and the Pea_???" She'd asked him.

"Hmm. No but if you're a real princess doesn't that mean you should be able to feel a pea under all those mattresses as well? Perhaps that's why you don't act like one." He'd replied with a teasing grin.

It had been one of those rare occasions where the princess had a playfully cynical smirk on her crimson lips. "I'd like to see you try being princess. Shouldn't be difficult considering you have the mannerisms of a Victorian." Her tone was cool yet cheeky.

The conversation had ended with the unbothered magician maintaining his complacent grin and humming playfully. "Tempting, but sounds like too much _responsibility_." He'd waved dismissively.

But now they were finally off the train and on their way to Telad's seasonal festival. Sanura put her sunglasses back on and explained to Hisoka that the fight club usually used events like this as a cover to operate and avoid getting caught.

The train station was a walking distance from the festival and a hotel, so Hisoka took the opportunity to casually sightsee as Sanura led the way. He placed a hand above his eyes as shade from the sun and squinted at their surroundings.

The town was surprisingly crowded. People were scattered along the streets and street vendors had started taking up space along the sidewalks or parts of the blocked off roads. "I've never been to the countryside. Sure is lively." The magician commented in fascination.

As they made their way to the hotel, the pair passed a stand where an old woman was doing readings with her cards and claimed she had a talent in clairvoyance. "You over there!" She pointed at Hisoka. "How would you like to get a reading done?"

Sanura stopped as well to check his reaction. His eyes lit up with intrigue as he made his way to the woman. "Sure."

"You too." The lady pointed at Sanura. "I can give you and your partner a reading on your relationship!"

The princess had to fight the embarrassment from showing in her reaction. "Uh, that won't be necessary-"

"Come on, Sanura. It'll be _fun~_ " Hisoka gave her a soft smile in hopes of encouraging her. No matter how unmoving she tried to seem, the magician knew very well that she couldn't resist whenever he acted cute.

Accurate to his predictions, Sanura gave in and begrudgingly walked towards the stand.

"Now, I'll pick three cards for you. One for each of you and then one for your relationship." The elderly woman explained.

She started with Sanura and placed a card that was faced down before revealing it to have an image of a tower. The card showed a tower set ablaze by a lightning bolt and figures jumping out of the windows.

"The old ways are no longer useful. You must find a new set of beliefs, values, and processes to take their place." She started. "The tower represents ambition built on a faulty premises. It must be destroyed in order to welcome something new and healthy; something that benefits you and serves you the best. Perhaps you've been in a toxic relationship and you had to leave it because you realized it was making you unhappy. Perhaps you need a new view on life in order to live it to the fullest and do what's best for yourself. Although initially painful, you must leave this tower behind."

Hisoka's brow raised at her words as he looked to Sanura with a teasing grin. He thought it was quite amusing considering it was both accurate and could apply very literally to her situation since he'd helped her escape an actual tower. He could tell she was trying really hard not to show much of a reaction despite being called out so bluntly. She did that thing where she pursed her lips and he could tell her brows were furrowed defensively.

He found it adorable.

"Alright, next is you."

The magician tried to stay composed as the woman brought out a card before him and it was left faced down. Hisoka couldn't help but develop a little anticipation for his result. He didn't really take such things seriously, but his curiosity and boredom always led him to trying new things for the hell of it. He found his 'go with the flow' philosophy to be quite effective. The woman turned over the card to reveal a picture of a wheel with animals in front of it— likely zodiacs.

"The same forces that govern the changing of the seasons or the rising and setting of the sun is also the master of luck and the fate of individuals." She said more seriously. "Life is full of ups and downs but we all have to deal with them. Big changes are coming your way and they are inevitable. Perhaps you won't see these changes coming or it'll be hard to accept." Hisoka noticed the woman's briefly dart to Sanura as she kept speaking to him. "Your relationships will be put to the test and the effort and commitment you put into such things will leave you to make a choice. Should you choose to navigate those ups and downs together, your partnership may be closer than ever." The elder's lips curled into a smug grin as she eyed the magician. "But remember that whether you go through something good or bad, nothing is permanent... for the wheel is always turning."

By now, Sanura was looking at Hisoka to see his reaction. But his expression was hard to read as he looked down at the card.

Then a moment later, his signature smirk returned as if he was completely unaffected. "How ominous." He teased.

"Finally, there is your relationship with each other." The woman brought out the last card and turned it over the reveal the image of a man and a woman holding hands. "The trust and the unity that the lovers have gives each of them confidence and strength empowering the other." She started. "You two compliment each other well and have a bond that may be very strong and beneficial for both. Consequently, this lovers card can indicate a business partnership that is harmonious and beneficial to both parties. But this partnership can blossom into a romantic relationship. Make sure of the risks you open yourselves up to and use both your hearts and heads on where it might lead. Come, hold hands." She gestured to them.

Hisoka didn't think much of it and held out his hand which left the princess baffled and wary. She turned to the woman. "Wait, you're serious? You actually want us to hold hands?"

The old woman smiled at her and gave her a knowing hum. "Come on, dear. He's literally holding his hand out to you and I can tell you want to. I'm sure he doesn't bite."

This was the comment that made the princess' ears blush as she frowned. She turned back to Hisoka only to see the smug magician raising his brow daringly and keeping his hand out. His expression practically screamed _'don't be shy.'_ He was taunting her.

So she let out a huff and passive aggressively put her hand in his and even took the initiative to intertwine their fingers.

The lady gave a satisfied hum before encompassing their held hands between hers. "May you two find some solace and happiness from each other." She side eyed Hisoka. "She's a special one. It would be wise to not lose her." The magician merely kept his smug grin before the lady let go. "Well, normally I'd charge you. But you two are so adorable I'll let you off the hook. Just let me do your blessings." The lady made each of them wear a sacred thread around their wrists and claimed it was good luck before holding a plate of burning incense and blowing the smoke onto them. Sanura gave her thanks and then the pair headed off.

It wasn't until they were out of the woman's sight that the princess acknowledged that she and Hisoka were still holding hands. "You know you can let go now." She deadpanned, her sunglasses adding to her lack of expression. But her tone wasn't as impassive as it usually was.

Hisoka looked down at her and hummed. "I would. But your hold tightened to the point you could probably break my hand, so I know you don't actually want to let go." His hand stayed moulded with hers as he swung their arms and did a chibi face. "Honestly Sanura, you're such a _softie~_ " He teased.

This caused the dumbfounded princess to look down at their hands and realize she indeed had unconsciously held his hand a little too tight. When was the last time she'd felt such a simple yet intimate touch?

"Fine, I like having my hand held. So what? I don't need you doing me any favours." Her tone was icy compared to what she was admitting. She tried to pull her hand away but to her dismay, the magician refused to let go.

Hisoka feigned a pout and furrowed his brows at her. "Who said I was doing you a favour? Maybe I see this as mutually beneficial because I _want_ to hold your hand. That woman said we could be lovers after all. And she even took the effort to _bless us._ Look thanks to the incense I smell like _cinnamon~_ " He leaned close enough for her to smell him.

Behind her shades, the princess eyed him curiously. "Do you actually believe in everything she said?" She suddenly asked. "She wasn't using nen but she was able to guess that we were business partners. At best, people could presume we're married because of our rings."

By now, Hisoka was looking ahead. "She has good intuition. Her advice can be helpful but I also wouldn't take her words too seriously. The point of her stand is for entertainment and customers." He mused in his airy voice.

Sanura frowned at his nonchalance. To her, his fortune seemed like a pretty big deal if he truly believed in it. Yet he was brushing it off like it was nothing. "So are you taking advice from your reading?"

"According to her, the changes coming my way are unavoidable." The serene magician stated. "But as much as I agree that consequences can be inevitable, fate is a fickle thing." His cat eyes flickered to Sanura. "I once had a fortune that told me I would get to fight someone... but it didn't happen." There was disappointment laced in his words.

The pair had just entered the lobby of the hotel. However, Hisoka suddenly stopped and turned to her. The raventte felt her heart quicken as he leaned forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with his free hand, only to bring his fingers back and reveal a coin.

"Every step we take, every choice we make..." he drawled with a cocky smirk "those are what amend our fate. The outcome is as unpredictable as flipping a coin." He tossed the coin in the air and caught it just for it to vanish once he opened his hand again.

His hold on her hand loosened and the magician sauntered his way to the front desk, leaving the princess stunned. His words had once again stuck to her and made her heart palpitate.

It took her a moment to realize that was basically his extra way of advising that she had a chance to form her own fate.

She scoffed in disbelief and poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. "Show off." She mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I was gonna make him do the coin trick at least once


	13. Initiation

#  **CHAPTER TWELVE**

# Telad Festival

**"WOULD YOU** two like the honeymoon suite?" The receptionist asked.

"That sounds lovely."

Sanura's eyes noticeably widened and she looked at the magician incredulously. "Huh?"

"Huh?" He parroted her with genuine cluelessness.

"I'm not staying the night. Once I get you to the club, I'm getting a ticket for the next train out." Then she proceeded to furrow her brows in confusion. "Wait even if I was, why would we share a room?"

Hisoka seemed to ignore her question. "You're leaving already?" His expression was genuinely stupefied and he almost seemed disappointed.

The woman behind the desk bit her lip nervously. "I'm sorry are you two not a couple?" She pointed at the matching rings since both of their hands were resting on the desk.

But the pair were too entranced with their own confusion and ended up ignoring the poor woman.

"Are you sure you want to go back so soon? The journey should've tired you out. At least go tomorrow." The magician suggested.

Sanura gestured for him to step aside so that they could speak out of the receptionist's range. "Hisoka, I only have enough money for a train ticket. Besides, you don't need me once I get you into the fight club." She spoke in a hushed tone.

But Hisoka instantly frowned. He didn't see any sense in her rushing off and ditching him so soon. Consequently, he'd ended up enjoying her company a little more than he wanted to admit. At least to him, it seemed like they'd bonded last night and her presence itself somehow became more naturally comforting than any sort of physical affection. "Where will you even go? To your little friend at city hall?"

"You got any better ideas?" She deadpanned.

"Stay."

Her stance faltered at how sincere that one word sounded from his mouth.

"I can pay for your hotel room even if you want a separate one. I just figured the honeymoon suite would come with its benefits. Hotels usually treat newly weds very generously." He said the last sentence with a smug smirk. "Wouldn't it be better for you to get some rest before your journey back?"

Sanura bit her lip in uncertainty because Hisoka was right. She just didn't want to end up burdening him. "I couldn't possibly ask you to do that." She whispered.

"We have a give and take partnership, I'm merely helping you out. But if you truly want to leave, I won't stop you. As you said, your job was just to lead me to the fight club." He reassured.

The princess was genuinely contemplating his offer. Even though she was always tired, the trip had left her exhausted. But she also didn't want him spending more on her than necessary, so paying for an extra hotel room just for her seemed like too much money.

She went back to the front desk. "Does the honeymoon suite come with a package deal?" She asked in defeat.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Sanura stood baffled as she looked at the king sized bed that had fresh silk sheets and crimson rose petals scattered along the surface in the shape of a heart.

It wasn't long until Hisoka entered the room and she turned back to see him standing with a chibi expression that feigned innocence and a soft smile even though it was obvious he was being smug. He was standing in a sheepish position with his hands behind his back and his legs awkwardly crossed like a shy high school girl.

The princess thought he should've won an academy award for that performance alone. He might as well have had sparkles surrounding him just to emphasize his fake innocence.

 _He thinks he's so cute.... dammit it's working._ She thought.

But her expression remained stoic as she spotted a sofa that panned in front of the large windows. "Guess I'll take the couch." She sighed.

The next thing she knew, the frivolous magician had taken some rose petals in his hand and blew them onto her unimpressed face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Since the fight club opened at night, Sanura and Hisoka spent most of the day settling into their room where Hisoka showed her the colourful bath bombs and sheet masks they received in a gift basket from the hotel. The hotel was also generous enough to give them two free passes for the festival rides and games since they'd claimed they were on their honeymoon. As usual, the magician was right about the special treatment they got.

"This must be why they say the honeymoon phase is always the pleasant one." Hisoka beamed with crescent eyes as he waved the plush jester that Sanura had won for him from one of the games they were able to play for free. Then he took the plush princess that he'd initially won for her and brought the two dolls together to make them kiss, causing him to snicker at his own actions.

The cold princess tried to bite back her smile but failed miserably. When Hisoka wasn't put in a situation that required him to be serious, everything was a joke to him. She recalled earlier when she'd woken up from a quick nap after settling into their room to find the magician playing cheesy romance games on a site called _girlsgogames.com_ on their suite's computer _—_ she didn't even bother asking how he knew about it but he'd claimed to play it because he got bored _._ He was flippantly explaining to her how for one game the player had to keep pressing the space bar to make the couple kiss while the teacher wasn't looking, and if they got caught, they lost. Of course, this game was after the virtual dating game where he'd pretended to mope over using up his coins for his PC girlfriend whom he called a "gold digger" and had dumped him, leaving Sanura to humour him by saying "it's her loss." Then later that day, at the festival he had suddenly gotten interested in the hammer game that tested strength. As expected, the weight had skyrocketed all the way up and hit the bell immediately... and like a cliché lover, the prize he'd picked was a princess plushie for Sanura. So to compensate, she had played a game where they had to throw darts at balloons and won him a jester plushie which had made him genuinely chuckle at the toy and compliment her impressive aim.

Now the sky was dark and Sanura was leading the charismatic magician to the fight club. The people surrounding them had decreased significantly as she took him down a path that led into a forest trail where they quickly ended up isolated with a lot of trees just moments later.

Hisoka hummed a unique tune to busy himself with the prolonged silence between them. He found himself stealing glances at his imperturbable companion who wasn't paying him any mind and looking ahead. As he observed her satisfying side profile and the curve of her long lashes, he had to admit she was undoubtedly a sight to see. The unique heart shaped mark beneath her eye was a feature that he especially adored.

For the short time he'd known her, the princess had either immensely irritated him with her dull and lifeless exterior (which had constantly tempted him to ditch her)... or he found her so endearing that he was compelled to pinch her cheeks and desire to see more of her genuine smiles and laughter that ironically had so much vivacity because they were so rare and adorable— there was no in between.

It was obvious she was facing her own internal battle between letting herself care about things and enjoying herself versus becoming completely apathetic to everything including her well being.

However, Hisoka was more fascinated by her indifference and ability to ignore his occasional innuendos yet she would go noticeably red at the simplest gestures, such as complimenting her hair, acknowledgement that she likes her hand held, or winning her a plush doll. But it was always Hisoka's more genuine comments and gestures that seemed to set her off in a blushing frenzy. She could usually tell when he was lying— and the cunning magician tended to lie a lot.

He recalled earlier trying a pickup line on her just as a joke. But her response had even left _him_ speechless.

_"Sanura, I'm not an organ donor but I'd be happy to give you my heart~"_

_"Why would you do that. I don't need a heart transplant."_

_"......."_

Hisoka knew she was just messing with him, but she'd said it so seriously and he'd found it so lame that he was too unamused to say anything.

He'd even tried to tease her by asking her to feed him a piece of funnel cake. But to his shock, she'd silently complied and showed no reaction to him hesitantly eating it from her hand. Her expression was blank the whole time but the gesture felt genuine nevertheless.

It was some point later he'd also concluded the intimacy she craved was far less sexual and retained deeper significance.

He decided to put his theory about her to the test. "The stars are very beautiful here." He said smoothly.

Sanura followed his gaze and looked up at the twinkling lights in the sky. "There's less light pollution in the countryside so they're more visible here." She simpered.

Hisoka hummed. "So, are you staying once we get there or will I be seeing you again in our suite?" He suddenly asked.

Sanura took a moment to casually think about it before she answered. "I'll probably head back to the suite. Whether I see you depends on when you come back and if I'll already be asleep."

"Then if I come back early enough, what if we could..." he trailed off with a smirk.

Sanura gave him a strange look and raised her brow. "What, 'if we could'...?"

Hisoka maintained his smug grin and held the dolls together. "Well, seeing as we've done things actual couples do on honeymoons, there's one thing we haven't done that newly weds take very seriously..." he looked at her expectantly and paced his words more carefully as if he were poking a sleeping beast. "Shouldn't we..... consummate our marriage...?" The last words rolled off his tongue so smooth and sultry that Sanura almost believed him... almost.

He was met with her chocolate eyes suddenly boring into his. There wasn't a hint of disgust nor interest— just indifference and maybe exhaustion with him at best. Judging by her relaxed demeanour and unfazed expression, she knew exactly what he was implying and she wasn't impressed.

"If you're implying that we have sex then I'd say you're full of shit." Her tone was bored and dismissive. With that, she looked ahead and continued to walk.

But Hisoka's smirk merely grew at the expected reaction. _She's good._ He thought. "I was just _joking_ ~" He called out lightheartedly.

Then right before a throwing knife could reach Sanura's throat, the magician was fast enough to throw a card and deflect it, causing the metal to fall onto the ground.

Six men revealed themselves from the shadows and surrounded the pair. Hisoka could practically taste the bloodlust oozing from them. The only unfortunate thing was that none of them seemed very promising.

"Initiation." He heard the princess say.

Hisoka turned to Sanura who looked impassive as if she wasn't close to having her throat stabbed a few seconds ago.

"Every year, fight club members on probation for either having too little wins or too many losses are tasked to test applicants. If they manage to kill them, they get off probation. If not... the successful applicants end up killing them. It's a way of maintaining prestige and tight numbers." Her gaze went back to Hisoka and her lips curved into the smallest tight lipped smile that was meant to be encouragement. "They aim to kill. But I know you won't have a problem with that."

"And since you're not here as the prince's guest this time, we are obligated to test you as well, your highness." One of the men intervened with an effort to sound polite.

 _Well that explains why I was almost beheaded._ She thought. The princess couldn't help but roll her eyes. That meant Alexei had already reached out to the fight club and made them aware of their current relationship status. But she was no use to him dead, so the only reason he didn't order them to stay away from her was because he knew that Sanura was capable of defending herself.

He wanted her to kill these men.

 _Is this supposed to be his shitty idea of messing with me?_ She thought in annoyance.

Her expression hardened. "Fine. Three for me and three for him." She pointed at Hisoka— who was still trying to understand the situation. He understood that Sanura currently didn't have as much royal command as Alexei, but seeing her own subjects casually threaten to kill their own princess for the sake of a club initiation seemed pretty extreme even to the callous magician. Yet when he observed her stance, she didn't seem the least bit fazed.

This was quick to snap Hisoka out of whatever flickering concern he had for her. He came to the realization that he was no longer inclined to keep her alive since he was finally here. He reminded himself that if she got herself killed, that was on her. Whatever games she was playing were between her and the prince.

"As you wish. I hope you know we won't be going easy on you, princess." Another one spoke.

A rare and subtle smirk pulled at Sanura's lips once she took a casual puff from her vape pen and breathed it out through her nose. "I wasn't counting on it." Without warning, she blew masses of vape that travelled in their direction and proceeded to swallow three of the men, blinding them in a cloud of haze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Hisoka’s relationship with his PC gf can we get an F in the chat :,( haha this was inspired by him talking about playing romantic clichés on greed island in the city of love. It’s practically canon he plays romance games when he’s bored


	14. Til Death Do Us Part

#  **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

# Forest

**WHAT** seemed like fog had clouded the man's surroundings and he couldn't see anything beyond it.

At this point, he was wandering aimlessly and looking around with his guard up. _Maybe I can use en_. He thought.

But when he tried to activate en, he couldn't feel the flow of his aura. "What the hell?" He couldn't activate his hatsu either. He quickly realized he was in a state of zetsu.

In that precise moment, the intoxicating scent of cotton candy reached his nose, relaxing the man's muscles.

 _Why do I suddenly feel so calm?_ He thought.

He heard bones cracking from a distance, like the sound of a neck breaking. But no matter how panicked he wanted to be, his body was enslaved to the sweet aroma from the vape. His eyes looked around, trying to scan his surroundings and maybe see the princess coming.

 _Where is she??_ He thought.

Another neck snapped. That left him to be the last one. He figured his only hope at this point was old fashioned combat if he could just find her. Unfortunately he couldn't even use gyo to see any nen nearby, he was completely defenceless.

Before he knew it, bandaged hands wrapped around his neck and Sanura snapped it without hesitation.

His final expression was one of shock with wide eyes as his corpse collapsed onto the ground and the princess watched him with her own features devoid of emotion.

She hated that look on his face.

It was that clueless look that acted as if he was genuinely surprised to see her actually kill him. She was aware that he knew damn well she was trying to kill him just like he was trying to kill her— that was the endgame for the test. He knew what he was getting himself into, so why feign innocence?

But she found herself staring at the lifeless body even after it hit the ground and the vape cleared. She found herself wondering when it had become so easy for her to kill her own people.

The first time she'd killed was when she was 15. Dian was experiencing a civil war due to an uprising of democrats who wanted to overthrow the royal family and demolish the monarchy which they had alternatively called "tyranny." Military and weapons were compromised by rebels and she'd used siren's call to lure an army of soldiers into a trap for them to become slaughtered. Her first killing was a massacre.

But her old man had reassured her that these people knew what they were getting themselves into. They were aware of the high probability of their deaths and they'd accepted their fate— they'd consented to being killed the moment they entered the battlefield. She was merely abiding by their choice.

Sanura looked over at Hisoka to see that he'd already killed two of his opponents. She envied that carefree look on his face as he grazed the man's leg with a card and maintained that wolfish grin. Whatever shred of guilt or virtue he could've had in the past was already devoured by his overpowering appetite and selective memory. She too found it helpful when she didn't bother remembering the people she'd killed. There was no room for guilt if the consequences of your actions were erased from existence in your mind. The more she killed, the less she felt. She figured it was definitely a lot easier for him since all he felt was a euphoric rush. The very act that morally burdened most people was his addictive drug and his lifestyle included constantly moving, constantly acting on whims and impulses because it's easier to ignore your issues when you're either living your best present or looking forward to an even better future.

Hisoka finished the man by beheading him with his cards. "Dead man, dead man, come alive at the count of 1, 2, 3, 4... _just kidding~_ die." He chimed. The magician was currently hanging upside down with his bungee gum attached to his feet and sported a cocky smirk.

The princess put her hands on her hips as she watched him happily hum to himself. "Alright, Spider-Man. Get down from there, you passed." She said with a hint of amusement.

Hisoka complied and dropped to the ground, landing in a squat. "It didn't seem like you used sweet suffocation on them. Could've gotten the job done faster, no?"

Sanura shrugged. "I guess I wanted to give them more of a fighting chance. I used my vape itself as a smokescreen and got them to shut off their aura by inhaling the scent. But I didn't suffocate them with it."

"Hmm, handicapping your opponents and compromising their ability to see in order to sneak up on them and strike, yes I can imagine the increase in a fighting chance." Hisoka teased in a sarcastic tone. "Your tactic seems to always include disarming your rival in order to avoid an actual confrontation." He noted casually as his attention was on brushing the dirt off the plush jester that had fallen during the fight. Her style reminded him of an assassin— their objective was to complete a mission rather than enjoy the battle or relish in the kill.

 _Guess soldiers and assassins aren't that different._ He mulled.

The princess merely shrugged again. "I was trained for war, not recreational fighting. Since my abilities allow me to kill without engaging in much hand to hand combat, there's no need. I wouldn't say I'm weak but my physical capabilities aren't as efficient."

Hisoka had his chin resting atop his knuckles. "Warrior princess Sanura. So you're basically Wonder Woman." The cultured magician mused. Surprisingly, he was no stranger to popular cinema, sometimes it was an inevitable way to kill time when he had nothing else to do.

Sanura couldn't help but raise her brow in amusement at that. It was an unexpected statement— both from Hisoka's part and just in general. Despite her position, she didn't see herself as a symbol that people adored or idolized. She was meant to be the lawful evil. She was meant to be feared and she couldn't even achieve that because she wasn't as scary as Alexei. The magician may had been joking earlier but he was right: she didn't act like a princess.

She finally scoffed with a sarcastic smirk. "I'm definitely no hero."

But suddenly she felt something soft against her cheek. "No. But you don't have to be one nor fulfil some grand purpose. Other people's validation means nothing compared to how you value yourself." Hisoka spilled absentmindedly.

He was now towering over her and holding the jester doll against her cheek as if it was kissing it. The plush let out a squeak which elicited a stifled giggle from the magician. It was admittedly an endearing gesture.

Sanura thought the comment was unlike him and stared at the brazen transmuter whose attention was still on the plush toy. But she chose to believe that he was actually trying to make her feel better.

Then Hisoka saw it.

He caught a glimpse of that hard facade breaking and a genuine smile making it to her lips. The tips of her ears and cheeks were also dusted pink, meaning he'd caused her to blush once again.

Her hand made its way to his cheek and he allowed her thumb to affectionately stroke the teardrop painted onto it. She was staring directly at him with a sincere look. "Thank you." She spoke softly.

The tension between them was strange as they were looking at each other with soft smiles and warm feelings in their chests.

Before she knew it, Hisoka's face was closer and the princess wasn't complaining nor did she remove her hand. She felt her heartbeat quicken again, but it didn't bother her as much this time.

Her gaze moved to his lips and his to hers. Hisoka was close enough where he could smell the cotton candy from her breath and it made him unconsciously gravitate even closer until their noses just brushed.

"So..." Hisoka breathed out. His breath was practically tickling her lips and he could tell she wasn't going to stop him if he truly leaned any closer. "You sure we can't consummate our marriage?"

Just like that, the mood shattered like broken glass.

Sanura snapped out of her trance and her expression went back to cold and unimpressed. She looked at his expression to see a suggestive yet playful grin play across his lips.

Her hand left his cheek but Hisoka could still feel the lingering warmth it radiated.

"C'mon let's get you inside that fight club." She grumbled as she started walking ahead. But deep down she was thankful and very aware that he'd intentionally ruined the moment.

Because if he hadn't, she would've actually ended up kissing him.

 _God what was I thinking?_ She mentally scolded herself.

" _Aw~_ I was joking!" The magician called out with a snicker.

As he finally began to follow her, Hisoka resisted the urge to put a hand against his chest where his heart was pounding abnormally fast and he'd felt the oxygen escape his lungs for just a moment.

After what felt like an eternity of holding his breath, he let out a very small and subtle exhale of relief.

 _That was a close call._ He thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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A man was already waiting for them as they reached the end of the hiking trail. Hisoka realized they had reached the edge of a cliff and the man was standing with his arms crossed, blocking a bridge that hung from their side and served as a crossing to the other end. He could just make out a ravine below them with water flowing from a nearby waterfall.

The tall muscular man stood before them with an impressed grin, then his gaze slid to the princess. "Nice to see you made it, your highness." The man's smile faltered as he turned to the magician with a hint of distaste. "...and you must be her...." he said trailed off awkwardly. "You're the one she..." he tried again. But he seemed to be holding his words back as if it were vomit.

It took the pair a moment to realize he was talking about their _relationship status_.

Sanura had to massage her temple in exasperation at the fact that her abusive ex seemed to have told the whole kingdom about her and Hisoka. Although, the reality probably was that only certain people in the fight club and workers in the palace knew. Her escaping wasn't exactly good publicity and Alexei was too prideful to let it leak that he was practically dumped for another man.

Meanwhile, Hisoka gave the man a lazy smirk. "That would be me." He said cooly.

The man had to keep himself from losing his calm composure. It irritated him to see the magician so nonchalant and unbothered as if he didn't just become Dian's biggest home wrecker.

According to the prince, Sanura wasn't in her right mind and her vulnerable state was clearly being taken advantage of by this psychopath— it disgusted him to no end. He would've taken Hisoka on then and there, but he was going to leave him to Alexei.

 _Don't worry princess, his highness will save you from this perverted bastard._ He thought. He tried not to imagine the horrors that Hisoka could've done to the princess. "The final task is simple. Solve my riddle and you'll be able to pass and officially enter the club." He said firmly.

The magician raised his brow in intrigue. He thought the process for just one club was quite lengthy. But he wasn't really complaining since he was actually having some fun. "What happens if we get it wrong?"

"You get as many chances as you'd like until you get it right. But so long as you haven't figured it out, I cannot let you pass." The man said.

"And..." Hisoka took a cautious step forward and his bloodlust spiked "if I kill you...?" He said with a malicious smirk.

The man seemed unbothered by his threat and gave him a complacent smirk. "You could. But I can assure you that you can kiss your fight club admission goodbye."

This caused the magician's smirk to be wiped clean and his lips formed a straight line. "Oh." He said in disappointment.

"This old one runs forever, but never moves at all. It has no lungs nor throat, but still a mighty roaring call. What is it?"

Both Sanura and Hisoka took a moment to think. "Runs forever, but never moves at all." The princess mumbled to herself. _It can't be a windmill if it runs forever.. can it?_ She thought.

Silence wrapped around them, emphasizing the ambiance of their atmosphere.

Hisoka was squatting with his chin resting on his knuckle. His eyes were closed as he mulled over what the answer could be. He'd come to the sure conclusion that it wasn't anything living.

The distinct sounds of nature made its way to his ears, the rustling of leaves and late night singing of crickets striking his eardrums. The weather was splendid as a cool summer breeze brushed over his skin. On top of being a nen user, Hisoka was blessed with the gift of superhuman abilities. If he bothered to remember such trivial things, he would've lost count of how many times he was called abnormal for his sensitivity to his surroundings.

Then his ears perked at the sound of distant running water and the realization hit him. A sly smile crept over his lips and his gold eyes opened with newfound excitement. "It's a waterfall." He stated confidently.

Sanura's eyes subtly widened as she looked over at her travel mate and realized he was right. _Of course!_ She thought.

The man's eyes narrowed cautiously at the smug magician. "That's right." He stepped aside to give access to the bridge. "You may pass."

But Hisoka didn't take the bait. Instead his cocky grin grew. "That bridge doesn't actually lead to the fight club, does it?" His sharp nail pointed at the distant waterfall. "We have to go there."

The man maintained his cool exterior and gave Hisoka a challenging smirk. "Impressive. How'd you figure it out?"

The magician mirrored his smirk. "Because otherwise the riddle would've merely been too obvious." He sauntered towards him and leaned forward to speak beside his ear. "Also you can't fool an experienced liar."

When Hisoka leaned back, he saw a hint of fear behind the man's stoic expression. His ren was oozing bloodlust and clearly making the man uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Sanura was still in awe at the fact that Hisoka had figured out the trick about the waterfall. She was crouching with her arms hugging her knees and peeking over the edge of the cliff, staring into a pit of darkness. "Wow." She said under her breath. "Does that mean we're jumping?" She felt a knot form in her stomach at the thought. The probability of them surviving with the lack of light was very slim.

Hisoka joined her side and stood at the edge of the cliff. " _Guess so~_ " He sang carelessly. To her surprise, he seemed unbothered.

But she didn't bother tearing her gaze from the dark pit. "You think we'll make it?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

"If you're scared, you can hold my hand." He said haughtily.

The princess frowned and then glared at the cocky magician who was holding out his hand with his signature grin. "HUH? I'm only asking for your sake. _I'm_ the walking corpse, remember?" It was one thing for her to be calm about her own life possibly ending but she didn't understand why _he_ was being so calm.

 _Does he seriously think he's still invincible?_ She thought.

"Then you might be finally getting your wish." His grin grew to the point his pearly teeth made an appearance and his hand once again reached out for her to hold. "So what do you say? Til' death do us part?" He mused.

But Sanura didn't find his words funny. Her tone was dead serious while she sent him a dark look. "Oi oi.... it's one thing for me to want to end my life but don't you dare talk about ending yours, even if you're joking."

The playful magician once again felt his smile falter at her sudden words. But he didn't have enough time to process his shock as he felt her fingers intertwine with his and she gave him a determined look.

"We're gonna make it. On the count of 3." She said.

The jarred magician cleared his throat and looked down. "1..."

"2"

Then they both jumped off the cliff.


	15. Betrayal

#  **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

# Cave

**ONE** moment Sanura was feeling the sheer force of cool air clashing with her body and Hisoka's hand still interlaced with hers— the next she was met with a splash and she could no longer feel the magician's hold.

The darkness had put a dampener on her consciousness and for a moment she allowed her body to sink further into the water. If she didn't bother doing anything, this could've truly been it for her. Her task to guide Hisoka to the fight club was practically done.

All she had to do was let the water enter her lungs and he would've eventually figured that she was dead and been able to manage the rest of his way to the fight club himself.

This was her chance.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hisoka's head appeared out of the water and he gasped for air before wiping his face with his hand. To his dismay, his face paint was smeared along his palm and he could tell his hair was completely washed down because his bangs were curtaining his eyes and his mullet was sticking against the back of his neck.

He ran a hand through his hair as his vision focused on his dark surroundings. The only source of light was the full moon that seemed directly above him. They weren't that far from the waterfall and he could clearly hear it along with feel the current from it.

 _I just need to make my way to the waterfall._ He had a hunch that there was an entrance behind it.

He suddenly looked around to see if Sanura had popped up anywhere. After he'd lost his hold on her he admittedly didn't know what happened next other than the fact that he had ended up underwater and had to swim his way up.

 _Oh well._ He thought. He shrugged it off and figured she could meet him behind the waterfall. He needed to dry his clothes while he waited anyways, so he swam there. Accurate to his predictions, there was a cave entrance behind it.

As soon as he got out of the water, he took his shoes off and peeled off his top to twist the fabric and squeeze out the excess water. Seeing as the princess was nowhere in sight, the shirtless magician debated on whether he should strip completely naked to let his pants dry as well. After a brief moment of contemplating, he'd decided for it. He figured worst case scenario Sanura would catch him and call him a pervert and he'd end up making a stupid joke about skinny dipping.

On the other hand, she didn't strike him as someone that would be bothered by nudity as long as he had a decent excuse for it, so he stripped the rest of himself to let his clothes dry.

As he stood alone with his thoughts, Sanura's words invaded his mind.

_".... it's one thing for me to want to end my life but don't you dare talk about ending yours, even if you're joking."_

He tittered at those grim words. Despite his tendency to run into life threatening situations, there wasn't a single moment where he'd actually desired death nor welcomed it. There were times he would be close enough to dance around it, just to tease or taunt it. But nothing more. At some point, the magician went from teasing the grim reaper to becoming one. No matter how many or how severe his injuries, his constant recoveries were like a big ' _fuck you'_ to his mortality, particularly with the help of Machi and her nen stitches. Perhaps he was taking his luck for granted but it was still strange to hear someone— aside from himself— genuinely care for him to live. Or maybe it was the fact that such words felt so blunt coming from the cold princess. But the magician decided not to ponder too much on it, he preferred to keep such thoughts as fleeting.

He brought out his slightly wet playing cards to keep himself busy. But his honey eyes narrowed when he realized Sanura was taking an awfully long time. He knew she was intuitive enough to navigate her way to the waterfall so there was no way she was just lost.

 _Don't tell me she actually died on me._ He thought.

Hisoka had a hard time believing that she was just going to die after looking so determined and implying that they were _both_ going to make it before jumping. He was under the impression she was more resilient and stubborn than that. Not to mention his ally dying on him like this was tragically anticlimactic and made Hisoka feel like he just got dumped.

Although, he could already picture it: that calm and indifferent look on her face as she'd decided to abandon him. He was a selfish man himself so he was in no place to get pissed at her yet he couldn't help but feel betrayed.

How could she just leave him like this?

Was this really it?

She'd always walked around so composed and disconnected with everything yet radiated such a soothing warmth and reassurance that someone like him didn't bother her. From the first time she'd seen his face transform with bloodlust to his constant shenanigans, she'd still looked at him as if she'd seen worse and understood what his cravings felt like. She'd still cradled his head in her lap to calm him down and clutched onto his hand like she found it... comforting? Not once did she have or show any repulsion or disgust towards him.

Sanura didn't just tolerate him, she _understood_ him.

And now she was gone.

He'd earlier thought about how Illumi was more lively than her but Hisoka realized he was poorly mistaken. At the end of the day, he and Illumi had made it clear their 'friendship' was strictly business and the assassin was just as— if not more— apathetic as the magician himself. And as cold as Sanura was, she was nicer to Hisoka within a span of three days than Machi ever was. It was for this precise reason he remembered why he preferred such alliances where both parties kept their distance emotionally... because it made cutting ties a lot easier.

Nevertheless, Hisoka had a motto to stick to, which was to keep moving forward. He decided that as soon as his clothes dried he was going to make his way to the fight club and he was going to find himself some worthy opponents because that was his life. He didn't waste time overthinking things or mourning over already spilled milk because there was no point. Such inconveniences brought no benefits.

He looked down at the ring that was miraculously still wrapped around his finger while his other hand caressed the snake engravings, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips. He couldn't tell if he was feeling amused or slightly sentimental at the mere piece of metal that defined his unique situation.

 _Well it was fun while it lasted._ He thought.

But he was snapped from his moment when he sensed movement in the water and turned to the direction of the sound of bubbles and swishing.

The next thing he knew, Sanura's head popped out of the water with a loud gasp. Her hair was no longer tied and clung to the sides of her face while heaps of water dripped from her features and she had a coughing fit.

The stunned magician merely watched in silence as she made her way out of the water, his chest suddenly feeling a lot lighter.

As she crawled her way onto the surface like some creature coming back from the dead, Hisoka's smug grin came back. "Here I was thinking you'd ditched me. Enjoy your swim?" He said in his playful tone.

"I was contemplating suicide." She said dryly with a disturbingly casual expression.

The magician suddenly felt like her words gave him whiplash from their blunt force and tried not to show his baffled reaction— despite how jarring her sentence was.

 _And people say I have no filter._ He mentally grumbled.

Then the princess avoided eye contact and smiled sheepishly as she fiddled with her fingers. "But... I want to say that your words stopped me." She admitted.

Hisoka's blank expression displayed a tinge of intrigue. "Oh?" He said a lot of things so he genuinely wouldn't be able to remember if what saved her was a truth or a lie.

"You said that sometimes feeling something— even if it's pain— is better than being a walking corpse. At first I thought then I might as well be an actual corpse... but..." She gave him a playful grin. "You called me stubborn and said I don't _have_ to be considered a hero or fulfil any extraordinary purpose.... plus fate is a fickle thing that we have the power to change. I'm not the lovable and cheerful princess I used to be and I will probably never be her again. But... I'm no longer going to mind what people think of me. I'm going to try to live because I _can_." Her gaze met his and there was a warmth to it that Hisoka wasn't used to. She finished with a sigh of relief and squat with her forefingers rubbing her temple. She didn't realize spilling her feelings was going to feel like running a marathon. "Shit that kind of felt good to let out. Sometimes I try not to be too gross with my feelings." She said dryly.

It was silence on Hisoka's part as he sifted through his memory. The naked magician had his hand on his hip and could only vaguely recall telling her something along those lines but she'd definitely added some of her own thoughts. Regardless, he was just going to roll with it. "Glad I could be of service to your character development." He said with a cocky grin.

Sanura was still squatting when she finally got a chance to ask him the obvious question. "By the way it's not like I haven't noticed before but why are you naked?" She asked as if this were a casual thing.

Hisoka's confidence didn't falter as he made his way to the water. "I thought I'd take this wonderful opportunity to take a swim." He gave the princess a suggestive grin and raised his brow. "Care to join me?"

But Sanura ignored him and her gaze made its way to his damp clothes that were laid across the rock and she realized the answer to her question was obvious. "Ah, you're waiting for your clothes to dry, aren't you."

The mischievous magician's smirk completely vanished and it was his turn to give her an unamused look.

Without saying a word, he stepped into the water until it reached his knees and he sat with them held against his stomach as he looked out to nothing particular.

Sanura had to suppress her chuckle at his dramatics. She knew a pathological liar when she saw one. She took off her shoes and made her way to sit beside the still naked magician, mirroring his pose.

"If you want to dry your clothes, you can. I won't peek." He muttered seriously without sparing her a glance.

His genuine reassurance made her smile once again. She casually leaned her head on his bare shoulder, to which Hisoka didn't show any visible reaction. Although, he was admittedly taken aback by the gesture. "I'm okay. Thanks though, you're a good friend." She said in her soothing voice.

This was enough to make the magician smirk in amusement. "Pity. Am I stuck in the friend zone?" On the contrary, Hisoka himself often used the term 'friend' to refer to most people. But unlike him, the princess seemed to actually mean it.

Sanura's tongue poked the inside of her cheek mischievously. "Actually I think regardless of a relationship being platonic or romantic, friendship is a good base for both. Wouldn't you say a husband and wife should be best friends?"

It didn't take long for Hisoka's smile to widen at that. He truly thought she was such a strange yet irritably adorable woman. "Indeed. Friendship is a fine thing... good save," he took a risk and nudged her cheek with his finger while making a cute chibi expression. ".... _hehe, friend~_ " he teased.

By now the magician figured his clothes were dry enough and got up from his spot to get dressed, leaving Sanura to sit stranded in the water.

After getting dressed, Hisoka had styled his hair up using bungee gum and Sanura assured him that she was fine with continuing despite her damp clothes, so the pair made their way further into the cave.

It wasn't long until the sound of muffled cheers and loud music were heard ahead. Torches were lit along the path that Sanura and Hisoka walked.

The bloodthirsty magician grew excited as they got closer to the loud noise and reached the opening that led out of the narrow path they were on.

But his giddiness was cut short when he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him— not his own but from beside him. The aura was rather discomforting. He looked to Sanura to see she was slightly shivering and her fingers were twitching with irritability. But this wasn't a mere cold from her damp state.

She was getting a craving.

"Is your vape pen not working?" Hisoka inquired calmly. The princess hesitantly looked up at him, revealing her typically chocolate eyes as bloodshot.

"The water messed it up. I c-can't take a puff." She stammered.

The magician couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her state. Plus, her aura was really starting to irk him and he knew it was just going to get worse. So he took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It should ease the craving." He reassured.

The princess recognized it as a piece of bubblegum and hesitantly took it from his grasp before unwrapping it and stuffing it in her mouth to chew. It was like he was feeding a feral cat.

They finally exited the narrow path and entered a large space that looked like multiple arenas in one, with crowds of people cheering and hollering at fights and hype music playing from large speakers. Hisoka's pupils dilated at the fighting rinks which were practically human cages.

There were fighters hanging from the sides and ceilings of said cages, either getting demolished or leaping onto their opponents and delivering the finishing blow for a K.O.— they were like animals.

Some fights were graceful, others were pure brawls. The magician had even caught sight of a conjurer with chainsaws along their arms.

"AND THE WINNER IS THE UNDEFEATED COMBATANT, KATINA IVANOV!"

Hisoka and Sanura looked over at a rink where the referee was holding up a pale blonde woman's arm. Her lemon curls were tied into two ponytails that effortlessly framed the sides of her long face and prominent cheekbones. Meanwhile her ocean eyes were emphasized with thick layers of mascara. She had a nice figure with toned abs below her sports bra and muscular thighs beneath her shorts.

In the moment of her glory, Katina caught Hisoka's glance and her breath hitched at the strange yet alluring man.

She excused herself and swiftly exited the cage. The brazen woman made her way to the edge of the platform and just at the same time the magician was walking past it. Without a care in the world, she reached out and grabbed Hisoka's face before cupping it between her hands. "Hey, doll face." She purred with a seductive smirk.

Hisoka hardly reacted to her forwardness and just stared into her pale eyes. He could smell the mix of blood and perfume coming off of her and his eyes didn't leave hers despite her cleavage being so close to his line of sight.

Katina combed her fingers through his styled hair while using her other hand to caress the star painted on his left cheek. "I really like this whole look you have going on. It's bold and it works on you." She breathed out. Her face was suddenly a lot closer to his, breaching the magician's personal space. A devilishly handsome smirk crept onto Hisoka's lips, giving Katina the impression that he was enjoying this. She brought her face even closer until their noses barely brushed and their breathes mingled. "Like what you see, babe?" She said with a confident smirk.

Meanwhile, Sanura watched the whole interaction with immense disinterest and couldn't help but roll her eyes. She decided to keep walking because for some reason the sight was beginning to become nauseating and slightly irritating.

But right before Katina's lips could meet Hisoka's, the magician finally spoke. "8.5 points." He whispered.

The next thing he knew, Katina's fist was meeting his face and Sanura had to turn around to find Hisoka had been thrown across the floor with a powerful punch.

Despite the blood in his mouth, the magician merely licked some off his lips and grinned deviantly as he was sprawled along the ground like a starfish and staring at the ceiling.

The princess bit the inside of her cheek to suppress her amusement as the angry blonde flipped him off and strutted back into the cage.

Hisoka smiled innocently as he made his way to walk beside Sanura and hummed in approval. "She's got spunk. If she meets her potential it'll be a delight to kill her in a fight." Sanura felt his bloodlust spike by the time he finished his sentence. The magician made sure to add Katina to his mental toy box.

The princess continued to look ahead with an impassive expression. "Have fun with that." She commented dismissively.

Since she wasn't humouring him, Hisoka decided to continue his childish antics and held his hands behind his back. "Say, Sanura. _Would you wipe the blood off my mouth for me~_ " He made another chibi face and asked cutely.

"Nope. Not even your cute act can save you from this one." She deadpanned.

"So this is where you ran off to."

The princess froze at the deep yet velvety voice. Her breath hitched and her body shivered at the way his words rippled through her entire being. She forgot how terrifying he was when they were in the same vicinity. When she was around him, all she felt was fear. Raw, bone chilling fear.

It also didn't help that he was the cause of her PTSD. She couldn't even speak from the way she was so petrified, nor did she want to look up at the man that was now standing metres away from her and Hisoka.

Hisoka eyed the princess strangely as he tried to make sense of her timid yet extreme reaction. Her fingers were twitching as her gaze seemed glued to her shoes. He could sense her fear from here and one thing for sure was that he wasn't the cause of it.

But his vibrant eyes slid to the man responsible, the one that was looking at her with a calm yet ominous demeanour that even had Hisoka suspicious yet curious of him.

 _This must be her Prince Charming._ He thought.

"Hello, kitten. Miss me yet?" Alexei said with a cocky grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: the name Sanura actually means kitten


	16. Hisoka's Selfishness

#  **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

# Fight Club

**PRINCE ALEXEI** stood in all his glory with his shirtless and muscular figure, showing off the decorative ink all over his arms and torso. He wore combat boots and dark cargo pants with a chain hanging from the waist band that was low enough to show off his carved v-line.

His pale skin was perfectly illuminated and his deep sea eyes were targeting Sanura with an intense gaze that expected her to drown in them. Despite everything he'd done, she hated that he looked stupid attractive and his accent was just as stupid sexy. The princess truly believed that's how the devil would've walked the earth if he were in human form— he was a merciless psychopath hiding behind his picture perfect appearance and enamouring everyone with his lies.

He arched his thick brow at her lack of speech and eye contact. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" He feigned concern. "Enough is enough. Come home."

The sweetness and pretend care in his voice made her feel sick to her stomach. He did this every time.

Whenever he would lash out at her in a drunken rage or the first time she'd caught him kissing another woman, he would apologize and tell her how much he only loved her with his seductive lies and sweet voice. Not to mention the amount of times he'd guilt trip her with a sob story about his rough childhood and abusive parents and make her seem like she was being ignorant to his trauma.

But she forcefully swallowed the lies nevertheless because whenever he acted pitiful or sweet, it tugged at her heart strings. He controlled her fear and took advantage of her feelings.

She refused to give in this time. "No." She deadpanned. The princess finally dared to meet his gaze. "I'm already married so our engagement is over. There was even a witness to the ceremony and she was licensed." She tried to sound as cold as possible without her words faltering.

But the prince seemed unfazed. He remained as casual as ever with a complacent grin twisted onto his lips. "Have you been taking your meds, kitten?" He suddenly asked.

Hisoka glanced at the princess whose fists were clutched and he couldn't tell what she was exactly feeling because her eyes were curtained by her messy bangs. "As if I'd take anything you bribed the doctor to give me." Her tone was sharp.

Alexei tittered at this. "Ah, your paranoia is still getting to you, hm? Also by 'witness' are you referring to the eccentric woman from city hall?" He furrowed his brows in thought. "I believe she was executed just yesterday because she was caught forging documents. She abused her position, you see. Not like a witness would help in your case anyways. Dian's marriage laws state that a marriage must have two _capable_ consenting adults. With your state I'm afraid your marriage with this..." he paused to look at the stoic magician "freak is null and void."

Sanura's eyes slightly widened at the news of her friend's death. But she wasn't going to give Alexei the satisfaction of a reaction, so she hid behind her bangs with her head hung low.

The prince directed his following words at Hisoka. "I don't know what she's told you but she is unwell with a history of compulsive lying and impulsive tendencies. She was diagnosed with depression and happens to have a few symptoms for borderline personality disorder. She also tends to harm herself so she's a fragile thing. Why do you think her arms are bandaged?" By now they were surrounded by people that were attracted to the commotion and hearing everything Alexei was saying about Sanura.

 _Liar._ The princess thought. He was lying through his teeth about her injuries just to cover his actions. She could feel Hisoka's gaze on her, so her eyes met the seemingly impassive magician.

There was no way he could be believing Alexei's bullshit, right? She wanted to reassure him by asking how would she even manage to give herself second degree burns?

But at this moment, she couldn't tell what Hisoka was thinking and she couldn't help but think he was being skeptical of her right now.

"Are you vaping again?" The prince's words struck her. "I thought I told you that you need to quit. It's not good for you or your voice." He patronized her with his hands on his hips.

Against her better judgment, Sanura rolled her eyes and let the words escape her. "I'd rather get lung cancer." She retorted.

Stifled giggles and astonished looks were sent her way. She was their princess but she was a disappointing joke. _Just great._ She thought sarcastically. He was pulling the mental illness _and_ addiction card on her to make her seem unreliable and crazy in front of everyone.

"If I'm not capable of consenting to marriage then I can't marry you either. Our engagement before I was diagnosed means nothing if I revoke my consent." She muttered with a hard look.

This was enough to make the prince's smirk diminish into a stern look.

Behind his cool exterior he was thinking of ways to punish her when he'd finally get her back. Her rebellion was really starting to irk him. "You're correct. I can't force you to marry me. But you are meant to pay your father's debt and our union also happens to be a political one." He took careful steps toward her until he leaned over to have his face beside her ear. His mere presence was enough to make Sanura flinch at the proximity. "If you stray from your obligations now then war will break out and this kingdom will collapse.... all for your selfishness." He whispered before leaning back with a lopsided grin as he felt her anxious aura. No matter how calm and impassive her exterior, she was never as good at hiding her feelings.

"Then I'll relinquish the throne. I'll step down as an heir and you can have the kingdom permanently." Sanura smirked defiantly when she saw the prince halt at her words. He genuinely wasn't expecting that and she'd caught him off guard. "That's what you really want, isn't it?" She asked lowly.

The prince cocked a brow. "You're really going to give it all up like that?" He asked while maintaining his composure. But there was genuine curiosity laced in his velvety voice. She was putting everything at stake by doing this, including whatever minimal authority she had left.

"You can have it all. We can start the paperwork and procedure as soon as tomorrow. You have no other obligation to be with me now." Sanura said calmly.

The muscle in Alexei's jaw ticked. This woman was truly tantalizing. But this deal was going in his favour and he was willing to be a patient man just this once. "Fine. I accept. We can start the process tomorrow." He flashed her a charming grin.

Sanura took that as her ticket to turn around and start to leave. "I'll see you at the suite?" She addressed Hisoka without looking at him.

But the magician didn't respond.

Her brows furrowed. "Hisoka?" She looked up at him to see the still magician oozing bloodlust with a malicious and hungry smirk on his pale lips. Hisoka was currently in his own world as he eyed his prey, pupils dilated and eyelids heavy.

And he was looking directly at the prince.

After days of searching, the magician had spotted his new prime toy.

Before Sanura could connect the dots, Hisoka's shameless request had slipped past his tongue and through his polite tone. "Let's fight." He addressed Alexei.

 _Wow._ She thought with lifeless disbelief.

There had to be some type of dry hilarity in her feeling traumatized from facing her abuser and trying her best to keep herself together while her homicidal companion looked like he was about to salivate over said abuser like he was a ripe fruit ready to be plucked. Or maybe she'd just succumbed to dark humour.

"Hm?" Alexei had his arms crossed and cocked a brow.

"How dare you address his highness so carelessly." A man beside the prince seethed. But Alexei used his hand to signal for him to shut up.

A devilish grin formed on his lips. "A fight you say. I've heard about your history as a combatant, it's almost respectable. We talking match to the death?"

The magician mirrored his grin. "Of course."

The prince pretended to contemplate. "Hmm. Seeing as you ruined my engagement it's a _very_ tempting offer. So how about this, I'll fight you if you can convince Sanura to come back to me— not as a fiancée but just as a woman I must fix things with." He finished confidently.

Hisoka's smirk faltered. He briefly glanced at the princess who had a sudden look of clear terror in her eyes.

 _Well this is a problem._ He thought.

The magician maintained his bestselling grin as he looked to the prince. "You're already getting your kingdom. I can't see how she would be of any use to you."

Alexei scoffed in amusement at this. "I presume you wouldn't understand, but I love her." His icy eyes slid to the princess and his expression softened. "I'm not going to force her to be my girlfriend or anything, I just want her in her home getting the help she deserves and a chance to work through our rocky relationship like mature adults. I just want what's best for her because that's what one does for the person they love, hm?" He said his last sentence affectionately.

Women and men that surrounded them awed at the prince's seemingly heartfelt words. "He's so romantic." One of them stated.

But Hisoka was unimpressed with Alexei's obviously empty words. Although, he could understand how other people that weren't fellow liars would've believed such bullshit— Alexei was no amateur. Nevertheless, it was nothing but a ploy to assert his dominance and take back what was his. To the prince, Sanura was his and his only.

"How about a similar proposition but with some _mild_ adjustments. A match to the death and if you win, she will willingly go back to you." Hisoka proposed with confidence and elegance. If there was one thing the magician excelled in (apart from fighting), it was negotiations. "Unless of course...... you're not confident about winning." He said with a provocative smirk.

Gasps filled the spectators of their conversation. Most of them were simply shocked by Hisoka's irreverence.

But Sanura couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Her life was once again being treated as a bargaining chip and it was happening in her very presence. "So does that mean she agrees to this?" She heard Alexei ask.

The princess looked to the magician who had a cool expression. But those gold eyes were urging her to accept. Everything about this felt cruel to her and she was still trying to process it all without breaking down into a hot mess.

She felt like Hisoka had screwed her over big time but she couldn't even act like it wasn't like him because this was exactly something he would do.

Because Hisoka's addiction trumped everything else.

Despite being asked if she was okay with this, Sanura felt as though she had no choice but to bet on the magician. She had absolutely no idea how this was going to affect her agreement to step down as princess, but god knows what Hisoka would've done if he couldn't get Alexei to fight him. "Okay." She said emotionlessly.

Both men seemed pleased with her answer. "Excellent! Then the fight will take place here. How about tomorrow at noon?" Alexei clapped his hands with enthusiasm.

Hisoka gave him a reassuring smirk with an equal— if not more— amount of enthusiasm. "Sounds perfect."

The prince's gaze made its way to Sanura and the smug look in his eyes intensified. "Then I'll be hoping to see you as well, kitten." He slowly sauntered his way to her, causing her heartbeat to increase. He was as tall as Hisoka and the princess felt herself suffocate at his nearing presence. He was about to take her hand to kiss it until—

"Don't fucking touch me." She said coldly.

Alexei's lips formed a smug "o" with his mouth and backed off with his hands up in surrender. "My kitten has gotten a little cold." He commented smoothly. "Until we meet again."

Sanura could hear women go "awww" at his suave gesture and she felt like throwing up. What used to make her uncontrollably blush and have the same reaction as them now sent her shivers of fear. This is how he'd reeled her in.

The princess finally turned to Hisoka and gave him a very aloof and emotionless look. "We will talk once we get to the suite." Was all she said before making her way out of the fight club, compelling Hisoka to silently follow her without his usual humming or antics. He had enough sense to give her some space and stay quiet.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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The way back was mostly silent and awkward. The only time they'd exchanged words was when Sanura realized the path back up the cliff was going to take too long so she'd plainly asked Hisoka if he could use his bungee gum to which he complied. To his surprise, she was very casual about wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him carry her up.

But even being so physically close with her face right beneath his chin and their chests against each other, the magician could still feel her distance as she continued to give him the silent treatment and avoided eye contact. However, he did notice that her grip on him was tighter than necessary.

Hisoka realized she tended to do that every time they had some type of physical contact: she would hold onto him as if she was scared to let go of such intimacy.

As soon as they reached the top of the cliff, the rest of the way back was just her walking ahead with the magician trailing behind. Her silence and complete indifference was admittedly unnerving to him because he couldn't even sense an ounce of hostility from her aura yet her words before they'd left had made an impression.

_"We will talk once we get to the suite."_

Hell, he even preferred her to yell at him, cuss at him, maybe threaten him. Perhaps even get in a few punches or kicks, or even just plainly try to kill him— anything to express her anger with him.

But she was just blank and distant. Hisoka had never met such a cold woman.

His only hope of extinguishing his uneasiness was that their talk will end up as her finally exploding on him and giving him an earful. At this point, even a stereotypical _'I hate you!'_ would've sufficed.

Hisoka didn't like being ignored.


	17. Over My Dead Body

#  **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

# Telad Hotel

**THE ELEVATOR** ride up was just as awkward. Hisoka and Sanura ended up being the only two inside and the unbearable silence between them was merely interrupted by the shuffling of the magician's cards and the dings of the passing floors. He was leaning on the opposite wall and his focus was solely on his cards, not paying any mind to the princess' presence.

They didn't need to have their aura flowing for the tension in the atmosphere to feel suffocating.

As soon as they entered the suite, Sanura casually closed the door and the click of the lock echoed throughout the room. She turned to lean her back on the door with her head hung low and uneven bangs covering her eyes.

The magician had made himself comfortable and was sitting at the edge of the bed as he manspread. But even Hisoka didn't have the audacity to have his signature smirk on display. His expression was blank and impassive while he was still busying himself with his cards.

"Do you have any idea.... what you've just done..?" She asked lowly.

The magician didn't miss the shakiness of her breathing. But his gaze didn't leave his cards.

"I had it handled." Her tone was low but firm. Her knees started to feel weak and it was taking her immense strength not to just collapse onto the floor.

Hisoka's eyes finally focused on her. "I wouldn't exactly call giving up your entire kingdom and authority as 'handling' things. You do realize the moment you sign everything over to him, he can just screw you over by throwing you into a psychiatric ward or even force you to marry him, right?" His silky voice stated cooly. "It's no different than handing yourself over."

Sanura stopped leaning on the door and made her way towards the magician, her bandaged fists clenched. "Don't act like any part of your motives were altruistic or heroic. You did it for selfish reasons just to feel that damn temporary euphoria your brain can't function without." Her voice seemed calm and low. At this point, the magician was confused as to why he still couldn't sense any hostility from her. He could tell she was trying to stay composed but she was clearly suppressing something. "You would've wanted to fight him regardless, whether anyone else benefits from it be damned." She continued.

She stopped until she was standing directly in front of him, fists still clenched and her head hung low. The magician was about to speak but what she said next genuinely had him taken aback.

"But I'm not upset over that. I honestly couldn't give a shit about your visceral desires." She clarified.

Hisoka kept his surprise to a minimum as he blinked fitfully. If she wasn't upset about that then what was she upset about?

"What I'm upset about is that you gambled away both of our lives. You forced me into a situation to agree to go back to him... even after knowing about the things he's done to me." Her voice began to falter and she finally lifted her head, her bangs naturally being swept away from her eyes. "He took everything from me.." she trailed off. The princess could feel her eyes sting with tears. But she was holding them back as best as she could. "Including my best friend." She finished weakly.

Her lungs were constricted to shallow breathes and Hisoka didn't miss the trembling of her lips. Her throat ached from suppressing the sobs she was stubbornly keeping at bay and her watery eyes looked directly at the cold magician.

For two years, the prince had isolated her from almost everyone and kept her human contact at a minimum. Such long term confinement and lack of socializing was enough to drive anyone to the deteriorating point she was at in her mental health. Her closest companion became her addiction.

So apart from her now deceased best friend, this damned whimsical magician with his childish tendencies, chibi expressions, a superiority complex, and an unhealthy habit of lying ended up being the most intimate and comforting human company she'd had in a long time. He'd made her laugh when no one else could and he'd made her break into more genuine smiles in three days than anyone else had done in two years.

Sanura consequently came to care about Hisoka and she was scared that he was going to get himself killed against Alexei.

 _And he's gonna take you away from me too._ She thought. But she didn't let such words escape.

"You're right. I forced you into a situation for my own benefit. I'm a selfish man and I'll throw anyone under the bus so long as it continues to benefit me."

Hisoka's words snapped the princess from her thoughts.

He stood up and he was towering over her with a calm demeanour. "But I was merely implying earlier that this is a win-win situation." His serious expression went back to his typical smug one and he leaned forward for a dramatic effect. "Because your prince's best chance at getting to you....... hehe... will be _over my dead body_." He finished with a sadistic grin.

 _Which won't happen of course._ Hisoka thought confidently.

But the princess felt her skin crawl at such dangerous words. Her jaw clenched at how carefree and cocky he was being, completely disregarding the risks of his life. As if he'd flipped a switch, her expression flickered to cold and grim. "I told you. Don't. Talk. About. Dying." She gritted through her teeth.

The magician's expression hardened, his dangerously bright irises showing some of his irritation. While he genuinely found her concern touching, he couldn't help feeling frustrated that she lacked so much confidence in him. The way he saw it, he was her best bet.

Sanura looked up at him with defeat and puffy eyes. "This time, that next fix isn't worth the gamble." Her tone was soft but her words carried a heavy weight of seriousness.

The magician kept himself from scoffing at her choice of words. "I don't think you're one to lecture me, miss 'I'd rather get lung cancer.'" This was those times not even Hisoka's soothing voice could blanket the coldness of his words, leaving the princess speechless.

 _Don't cry in front of him. Don't cry in front of him._ She thought. She didn't want to seem like those women that tried to win the argument by breaking down into tears for pity. Alexei used to accuse her of emotionally manipulating him because she used to cry so easily.

But after a brief moment of composing herself, she gave him a sarcastic smirk. "You're right. I'm the last person to lecture you. Do whatever you want." She forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat and the smirk on her lips turned into a superficial smile. "I hope your boner is worth it." She spat before trudging into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

As soon as she locked the door and was out of Hisoka's sight, she sat on the floor and hugged her knees while she allowed the tears to escape her. She tried her best to keep her sniffles to a minimum and covered her mouth so that she wouldn't whimper loud enough for him to hear. The princess preferred to cry in silence and solitude anyway.

Meanwhile, Hisoka didn't leave his position and dumbly stared at the door in silence with a stoic expression. There was just nothing else to say.

But Sanura was poorly mistaken if she thought he couldn't hear her quiet sobs or that he didn't notice her glossy eyes before she'd trudged into the bathroom. The scene admittedly made him uncomfortable and caused a slight ache in his chest. The way she'd looked at him with such hurt in her eyes after everything she'd been through was beyond pitiful.

His mind flashed back to the moment in the palace where her sadness had travelled through his immobile state and he was forced to feel _everything_ she felt. It was enough to give even the fearsome magician unwanted chills that made his fists clench to the point his knuckles turned white and veins pushed against the skin of his hands. Then his stoic expression crumbled.

Against his wishes, the clairvoyant woman's eerie voice seemed to very literally ring through his head.

_"She's a special one. It would be wise to not lose her."_

He didn't typically believe in such things but if the old woman had ended up cursing him, he was going to hunt her down and kill her— wouldn't be the first time he was proven wrong. After all, up until he'd learned of the thing inside Alluka, he hadn't even thought demons existed.

Naturally, Hisoka didn't care for already broken toys.

But in that moment, he realized his discomfort was because he saw the princess as a broken _person_.

Hisoka's gaze moved to the sacred thread still tied to his wrist and he suddenly found himself mulling over Sanura's luck, which he convinced himself was undoubtedly going to change for the better.

Because he'd reached the conclusion that this particular broken person didn't deserve to go through so much pain.

And because he just didn't like seeing her in pain.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


By the time Sanura had finished her crying session and washed her face, she left the bathroom to find a shirtless Hisoka sleeping on the couch with his back to her. His hair was down and he was barefoot with his harem pants still on.

She huffed in exasperation. "I told him I was taking the couch." She grumbled to herself.

The princess ended up taking a blanket and laying it on him. _What kind of idiot forgets a blanket._ She thought stubbornly.

Outside of her line of vision, the magician unconsciously grinned with his eyes still closed.

Until he was sure that the princess had made herself comfortable in the bed and turned off the lamp, he turned his body so that he was facing her. The princess was consequently facing him as well, and she was on the side of the bed closest to the couch. But her eyes were closed.

The moonlight from the window was enough to illuminate her for the magician. Hisoka found it strangely interesting to watch her sleep, she always looked so peaceful and it seemed like one of her favourite pastimes where she was unquestionably content.

Then his thoughts drifted to the big day tomorrow. He couldn't help but form a wicked grin at the thought of finally getting to beat someone that was near Chrollo's caliber (although, the magician could tell that the head spider was still going to be much more promising). He licked his lips at the mere image of completely demolishing the prince, it was going to be like devouring a sweet fruit on a hot summer day. Or like the princess kept pointing out, it was his next fix of dopamine.

But as Hisoka's eyes landed back on the sleeping princess, he felt his wolfish grin fade.

Selfish desires aside, he was going to make sure Sanura never had to go back to that man again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Sanura woke up to massive sunlight streaming through the window which immediately started to irritate her sensitive eyes.

She groggily took in her surroundings and looked to see the empty couch. Hisoka was nowhere to be seen. Judging by his missing shoes it seemed to her that he'd already left. His lack of presence left a particular void in her chest, especially after how they left things last night.

Her eyes lazily checked the time on the digital clock, only for it to read 11:40 am.

Her tired eyes widened and she almost fell off the bed while cursing out loud. Their fight was supposed to start in about twenty minutes and she still had to make her way there.

Then she noticed the single playing card set on the bedside table. It was a six of hearts with something written on it.

_"Didn't want to wake you so I went ahead. I presume you'll want to come and watch me kill your Prince Charming"_

There was a small heart drawn after the message which made her smile with mirth.

Only Hisoka would add hearts after such messages because she knew his whole persona was simply meant to be satire for his questionable arousal for battle.

But she wasn't one to judge. While he got off on beating worthy opponents, she got off on unprescribed pharmaceuticals.

This called for her emergency weed.


	18. The Prince VS The Joker pt 1

#  **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

# Fight Club

**THE** cacophony of cheers, chants, and hollers filled the humongous crowd as a large cage was suspended in the air with a large chain keeping it up, as if it were the centrepiece of a room but with a stadium of people spectating.

But this cage wasn't just any cage.

Unlike the smaller cages where fights typically took place, this one was only reserved for more significant and hardcore battles such as this one.

All other fights were postponed, so the audience was practically every other fight club member— most of which were either pissed they couldn't fight or they were riled up for the big showdown.

A large screen hung from right outside the cage, projecting the announcer and the combatants for the audience. Meanwhile, music subtly played in the background of the crowd's obnoxious cheers as the announcer was about to start the introductions.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TODAY MARKS A DAY THAT MIGHT GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS IT IS A HEARTWARMING TALE OF OUR ROYAL LOVERS. ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE THE FEARLESS, THE RUTHLESS.. DIAN'S STRONGEST WARRIOR THAT HAS LED US TO VICTORY OF MANY BATTLES... HERE TO WIN OVER HIS BELOVED.... HIS GREAT HIGHNESS.... PRINCE ALEXEI!!!!"

The crowd's cheers got louder as the prince appeared on screen. Veins protruded his inked arms as he stretched and flexed them. His midnight hair was a shaggy mess but in an attractive mess while a necklace made of bones decorated his neck. The chants over him became feral.

_Clap clap._

"ALEXEI."

_Clap clap._

"ALEXEI."

Both men and women awed at his carved and fit figure, some salivating over him while others were jealous and desired to be him.

"Oh my god, he's so beautiful. Look at those thick lashes and his muscle structure. It just adds onto his rich baritone voice." One woman commented with her cheeks flushed and skin hot. Her friends seemed to agree as they checked out Alexei as well.

"Okay, but is it just me? Or is the joker dude kind of hot?" Another one of her friends admitted.

One of the guys sitting behind them leaned forward and butt in. "How long do you think he's been fucking the princess? Would be all the more scandalous if they did it right in the royal bedroom while the prince was out." He said with a shameless grin.

The first woman made a face of disgust. "That just makes it all the more gross. This sick freak..." she referred to Hisoka "is obviously taking advantage of her for his sexual desire." Her gaze went back on the prince. "Then again, mentally ill or not— how can her highness cheat on such a fine specimen?" She asked with a dreamy sigh.

"AND ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE HIS OPPONENT... uh..." the announcer paused "sorry what's your name again?" They asked with disinterest.

Hisoka stood casually, cracking his knuckles and eyeing the cocky prince. "I tend to go by 'The Magician' or 'Grim Reaper.'" His words were like silk as they smoothly rolled off his tongue.

".... OKAY AND ON THIS END WE HAVE THE ONE MANIAC CRAZY ENOUGH TO CHALLENGE HIS HIGHNESS TO A DUEL... EVEN CRAZIER TO BE THE PRINCESS' APPARENT MISTRESS...WE HAVE THE JOKER!"

Consequently, that introduction left the magician unimpressed and his brows subtly lowered. But overall he remained unbothered. Hisoka had been called worse and labels meant very little to him anyway. Regardless of what he was called, it wouldn't change the result.

A majority of the crowd immediately started booing. Hisoka could've sworn he heard someone call him the 'nation's home wrecker' which he admittedly found amusing.

"HEY, CLOWN! WHY DON'T YOU DANCE FOR HIS HIGHNESS INSTEAD." Someone else yelled.

But the elusive transmuter didn't pay the insult any mind as he pondered over his introduction. _Hmmmm, but 'paramour' would've had a much better ring than 'mistress,' no? Darn, a missed opportunity._ He thought with mock disappointment.

Cards shuffled within his hands and he stood in a peculiar position with his knees and back slightly bent backwards so that his posture was a crooked curve. Hisoka often tended to unconsciously stand in a flexible manner that wasn't always good for his back. But it seemed to suit his whole jester aesthetic.

"OH? HER HIGHNESS HAS JUST ARRIVED TO WATCH! PERHAPS SHE'D LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS BEFORE THESE MEN BATTLE TO THE DEATH." The screen shifted from the announcer to Sanura's tired form making her way to an available seat.

People were staring at her strangely as they wondered why she was wearing sunglasses indoors. Her dark hair was up in a lazy bun and she was in her typical harem pants and curled toe shoes. But this time she was wearing a loose plain black t-shirt.

"YOUR HIGHNESS, IS THERE ANY REASON WHY YOU ARE WEARING SUNGLASSES INDOORS?!" The announcer asked through their mic.

The princess effortlessly lied with a straight face. "I'm hungover." She deadpanned. Sanura just didn't feel like answering the question and it wasn't like they'd question her for being intoxicated at this hour— in their eyes, she was just a mentally ill junkie anyway. She could already feel the looks of judgment thrown her way and she knew people would've been more upfront with their distaste if she wasn't the princess.

The referee made a face that was taken aback but attempted to compose themselves as they continued to interview her. "WELL IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SAY TO THE COMBATANTS BEFORE THEY START? ANY WORDS FOR HIS HIGHNESS WHO IS FIGHTING FOR YOU? ANYTHING FOR WHEN HE WINS?"

"He's not going to win." She said monotonously. Her blunt answer left the announcer flustered once again while whispers erupted among the audience.

"Uh... W-WELL IF HE WERE TO, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY?" They tried again with a bead of sweat forming on their forehead.

This time, the princess lifted her sunglasses and the screen showed that she was looking directly at the camera. Her eyes had a dangerous look and the intensity of her gaze was enough to give the average person chills— it was a look not even Hisoka had the pleasure of receiving. "If you end up killing Hisoka..." she started to address the prince.

People in the audience unconsciously leaned in to listen intently as the princess had managed to capture everyone's undivided attention. Not to mention this whole situation happened to be the most entertaining gossip this kingdom had ever seen: a twisted love triangle between the nation's _beloved_ royal couple and an eccentric foreign jester.

Sanura's bloodlust spiked as she narrowed her obsidian eyes. "I will make sure you die a slow and painful death by my own hands. Then I'll leave your corpse to rot somewhere no one will find it except the maggots that'll feed on your dead flesh." She said darkly.

With just two sentences, the princess had the entire fight club jarred into a state of shock. People didn't know how to react nor if they were allowed to.

Even Hisoka's vibrant eyes slightly widened at her words. For as far as he could remember, he was typically on the receiving end of such threats. To have someone so boldly say something like that for him was truly a foreign feeling. Hell, she basically just projected it to hundreds— almost a thousand— people on a very big jumbo tron.

For that brief moment, _"?!?!?!?!?!????"_ was all that went through the magician's mind. He was in so much genuine shock that his thoughts couldn't even be expressed in words. Then he wondered how she still had the audacity for such a heartfelt gesture when he'd made it clear he'll probably betray her one day. Hisoka had never been so flustered or he couldn't remember the last time he was.

Suddenly his excitement for the fight wasn't the only thing making his heart palpitate.

But the magician also thought there was amusement (and admittedly some pride) to see the princess have enough courage to threaten her abusive ex like that.

 _No._ He retraced his thoughts. Hisoka was extremely perceptive and he could tell that she was probably terrified beneath that seething exterior.

Alexei had an amused grin and miraculously kept his composure. But her words had gotten under his skin nevertheless. He looked towards the magician with narrow eyes. "... it seems like you've left quite the impression on my beloved. Do you enjoy taking advantage of vulnerable women?" He antagonized.

But to the prince's surprise, the former burst into a fit of gradual and childish giggles that chimed in a sing song tune. A hand covered his face to stifle his tittering while everyone else was looking at his image on the screen in disbelief.

All they saw was an insane and unhinged man who tore the princess from her lover by seducing her in her vulnerable state and kidnapping her from her home. In their narrative, Hisoka was the perverse villain of Sanura and Alexei's love story.

"You find this amusing?" The prince asked with his complacent expression.

It didn't take long for the magician to regain his composure, his expression back to calm and composed. He got ready to take a fighting stance before speaking again. "What I find amusing is the lengths you'd go to cover the fact that she's just not into you _._ Tsk tsk, no one likes a man that can't take _rejection._ " Hisoka made sure to drawl out the last word while a taunting smirk formed on his lips. "But enough talk," his ren emanated with an intense bloodlust, its tendrils reaching Alexei and invoking a predatory glint in the magician's eyes "I'd like to enjoy killing you as much as possible. So by all means...." his gaze grew dark "I _insist_ you don't hold back."

It was the prince's turn to get into a fighting stance and activate his ren. The immense and sinister bloodlust oozing out of him was comparable to the magician's, a twisted grin making its way to his own lips. Now Alexei was really starting to get pissed.

"AND YOU MAY BEGIN IN 3..."

The crowd began cheering again.

"2..."

Sanura felt her heart grow heavy and her forehead glisten with sweat due to her anxiety. But unlike her swirl of emotions last night, she had confidence that Hisoka was going to make it out alive.

 _I believe in him_. She thought.

As if on cue, one of the guys sitting near her was talking loudly with his friend. "His highness is going to absolutely demolish him!"

The man's friend hit his shoulder, clearly telling him to be quiet because of her nearby presence.

 _Then again...._ She thought.

Perhaps she was just going to take a puff every time the magician was brutally hit (as she'd initially planned). She had a high tolerance but she had a feeling it wasn't going to matter by the time the fight was over.

"1! BEGIN!"

The audience watched as all hell broke loose and the two killers clashed.

The fight started off strong with brute force. Alexei delivered powerful punches to get the magician on defence while Hisoka looked for openings to strike. But none of them were backing down.

One thing Sanura realized was that both men were similar when it came to their pride during combat. Apart from their insatiable desire to win, their fighting style included running straight into the heart of danger. They weren't afraid to get their hands dirty and they refused to run away from confrontation, wearing their ' _come at me'_ attitude on their sleeves.

So when Alexei's fist finally clashed with Hisoka's face, the magician didn't even grimace as he was thrown against the bars of the cage.

The impact caused the metal cage to swing in a pendulum. However, both fighters seemed to maintain their balance— particularly the sneaky magician who had his bungee gum to stick himself in place.

Hisoka retaliated and used his bungee gum to keep the prince's fist from hitting him again. Because this time there were orange and yellow flames shrouding it, giving Hisoka the impression that Alexei's hatsu was a transmutation of fire. He took the opening and went in to kick Alexei's abdomen, but the prince blocked it with his other hand and used the fist attached to Hisoka's bungee gum to drag the magician and throw him off balance.

As the cage continued to swing, Hisoka's weight carried him to the bars again. With his back to them, he landed with his arms and legs sticking to the metal. He looked like a spider caught in its own web.

Alexei had a sadistic grin that showed off his perfect teeth as he scrutinized the magician that casually laid against the wall of the cage. "Is that the best you've got?!" He chuckled. The prince was looking down on Hisoka as if his outfit wasn't the only joke to him.

 _Sanura seriously left me for this guy??_ He thought with comical disbelief.

But despite Hisoka's bleeding lip and scraped cheek, his expression was very calm and even slightly bored. "Not at all." The magician spoke in his light tone as he casually stuck to the bars. "But before I get serious, I'd appreciate it if you got serious as well." He narrowed his yellow eyes at the prince. "With all the things I've heard about you, I'm a little underwhelmed by your efforts." There was an underlying bitterness and condescending tone beneath his comment. Meanwhile, there were a couple "ooooou"s in the crowd at Hisoka's nonchalance and brazenness.

To be frank, Hisoka was rather insulted with the prince's first few moves because despite how reactive or impressive they may seem to the average viewer and amateur fighter— he could tell that Alexei was underestimating him and being too confident by holding back, not bothering to consider the other cards up his sleeve. What the magician desired was his opponent's everything being thrown at him with their unquestionable determination to take him down. Hisoka knew Alexei intended to win, but he didn't seem to be approaching the goal seriously.

Hisoka _despised_ when such capable opponents looked down on him like this.

Meanwhile, the buff prince's smirk lessened due to his latent irritation with the magician. He was indeed not fighting as if his life was in danger. But to others, Alexei going easy was still a guaranteed and severe beating where people hardly escaped alive. Then again, he was surprised to see the magician keeping up with his moves and taking hits like they were minor grazes. Alexei was a lieutenant that had been trained for combat since he was a child, facing the most brutal challenges and even overcoming shell shock from battle. Yet this mere carefree and hilariously dressed man fought with the same level of skill and effortlessly danced to his rhythm. Judging by the fact that Hisoka could pinpoint his lack of effort, it seemed as though the prince might actually have to crank it up.

The embers that burned along Alexei's skin crackled just like his competitive spirit. He snickered. "It's been a while since I got to go all out on an opponent." Vibrant flames spiralled around his body and into the image of a large flaming skeleton that extended from his body and loomed above him.

The audience cheered even louder at the rare sighting of one of Alexei's special moves. "Word is the last time he used _skeletal rage_ was when he wiped out a squad of fifty soldiers during a battle!" One of the audience members geeked out with his friend.

Watching the scene before him, a sudden rush of craze and excitement filled the magician's own fiery irises as he licked the taste of iron from his lips, heart pumping with adrenaline while the weight of his breathing got heavy. The corners of his mouth curled into a wicked grin as he could only imagine the possibilities to come. The prince was finally getting serious, he could see it in those incandescent eyes that mirrored the magician's sadistic joy.

Hisoka could only hope that now Alexei was going to make things much more challenging because his highness had just declared a drawn out battle.

The magician rolled his eyes back and let out a stifled dark chuckle, his head leaning further back into the metal bars and his body starting to writhe in pleasure. "Mmm, that's more like it." He was _really_ going to enjoy snuffing that magnificent fire out.


	19. The Prince VS The Joker pt 2

#  **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

# Fight Club

**HISOKA** released his bungee gum and dropped from the wall of the cage before gracefully landing on his feet.

The monstrous flames grew around the prince and the flaming skeleton above him wrapped its tendrils around him before mimicking his fight stance— it was like a giant puppet. Then the fiery puppet hurled towards the magician.

Hisoka barely dodged it, its large fists repeatedly attempting to crush him as the magician was forced to keep dodging it like a bug. But as he was backed into another part of the cage, from the corner of his eye, he was quick to realize it was a distraction so that Alexei could make his way near the magician and throw a heated punch.

Hisoka's eyes slightly widened at the surprise attack. _He's fast._ The magician thought with amazement.

"WHAT'S THIS? HISOKA CAUGHT HIS HIGHNESS' FIST WITH HIS OWN HAND. BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S BURNING??"

Hisoka smirked as his coated hand clutched Alexei's fist. He was using his bungee gum as a glove to protect his skin from burning. Consequently, bungee gum had the properties of both rubber and gum. So while chewing gum was typically flammable, rubber happened to be fire resistant.

The magician suddenly felt his feet skidding back as the prince started to push him. But he quickly used bungee gum on his own feet to stay in place.

After another sequence of both men switching between offence and defence, the crowd awed at the clash of fire and brute force. Until Alexei finally managed to kick Hisoka's back and the magician made impact with the bars.

But Hisoka's eyes widened when he suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through his body and electricity shocking his nerves— he was getting electrocuted as soon as he'd touched the bars of the cage.

 _What the-_ He thought with genuine surprise. The magician recalled that his body had clashed with the bars before and he hadn't been shocked then.

While stifling his own groans of pain, he used bungee gum to insulate the electricity from his limbs and collapsed back onto the ground. Hisoka quickly realized that's why the prince was trying to corner him against the bars— he knew this whole time.

"OOP. FOLKS IT LOOKS LIKE OUR GUEST HAS MADE A CERTAIN DISCOVERY ABOUT OUR SPECIAL CAGE!"

The magician heard deep chuckles coming from the prince as he approached and squat to Hisoka's level. "What's wrong? You seem a little _shocked_."

The audience started laughing as if it were some inside joke— everyone except Sanura who was on her way to getting high and felt her heart rate accelerate with anxiety as she watched an injured Hisoka get back on his feet. He had a few minor burns on his arms while his cheekbone was bruised with splotches of red and purple. But it wasn't like the prince didn't have some of his own injuries. The magician was able to get him square in the jaw while blood dripped from above Alexei's brow.

But overall, Hisoka had taken more damage.

The princess had already taken a few puffs and her heart _still_ clenched every single time the magician was hit.

She wondered to herself how she ended up caring so much for someone she'd only known for a few days. Even if he'd made her happy for those few days, seeing him like this wasn't supposed to hurt so much. Like a broken record, the magician's words kept playing through her head.

_"Because your prince's best chance at getting to you..... will be over my dead body."_

Against her better judgment, butterflies began to roam and flutter within her stomach at such a stupid statement.

 _Don't get yourself killed, idiot._ She wanted him to hear her thoughts.

Said idiot chuckled as he stood before his opponent. "An electric force field?" His vibrant eyes narrowed at the flaming prince. "What a _dirty trick~_ " A Cheshire grin spread across his features, showing off his bloodstained teeth. "Lucky for you, I like _dirty_ tricks." He suddenly lunged for the prince, finally getting in a few more hits and making sure his bungee gum was protecting his own fists.

Hisoka managed to grab onto Alexei's neck and choke slammed him into the ground. However, a smirk graced the prince's lips while his pale irises taunted the magician.

Hisoka really wanted to be the one to tear that narcissistic smirk from his face. He wanted to be the one to make that cool facade shatter into pieces because _only_ then will the prince's true nature reveal itself and his face will have defeat written all over it. He wanted to make the prince feel so worthless to the point even his own subjects looked down on him as their all powerful ruler was beheaded on screen as if it were a public execution.

Because what was a prince without his subjects? The magician's dick throbbed at such a delicious thought.

The next thing he knew, Alexei used his feet as rocket boosters and the mint haired magician was dragged along with him.

They were going too fast for the magician to simply let go of the prince's neck, but he managed to attach bungee gum to the ceiling and let go while his body was pulled back and avoided impact with the bars again.

Alexei wasn't so lucky and his back clashed with the bars. But it was the fact that he didn't get electrocuted which caught the hanging magician's attention.

 _The force field... seems to go off at specific times._ He mulled. Hisoka figured there were either time intervals between the force field or it only went off on him and not the prince.

He had to test it.

The prince used his hatsu as rocket launchers again and made his way over to where the magician hung on the ceiling and sent Hisoka carelessly flying across the cage until his back clashed with the bars again. This time, the magician didn't get electrocuted either. But he _did_ cough up blood from the harsh impact.

"A LETHAL BLOW FROM HIS HIGHNESS! HISOKA KEEPS RECEIVING HIT AFTER HIT! HE SEEMS TO BE NO MATCH FOR PRINCE ALEXEI'S FURY!"

The audience cheered Alexei's name along with some hoots, hollering, and insults towards Hisoka.

"Destroy him!"

"Pervert!"

"Circus freak!"

"Kill the bastard!"

The magician merely lingered along the bars until he felt another electrical shock go through his body, causing him to once again leap off the bars with a smug grin.

 _Heh, hehe... it goes off every five minutes._ He concluded.

"IT LOOKS LIKE HISOKA'S BACKED INTO A CORNER ON THIS ONE FOLKS. HIS HIGHNESS HAS RELEASED HIS SKELETAL FURY AND IT'S HEADED STRAIGHT FOR HIM! AT THIS RATE, HISOKA WILL BECOME BARBECUE!"

True to the announcer's words, the prince's large flaming skeleton puppet was headed towards the magician at an alarming speed, its mouth wide open as if it's roaring with fiery tendrils extending from its large bony claws. If Hisoka backed up any further, he was just going to get electrocuted by the bars behind him— he was trapped.

But as the entire fight club witnessed Hisoka's next course of action, not even the princess could've predicted such a thing from the less than sane magician.

If there was one thing Sanura was forced to experience, it was that growing up as royalty was nothing like the fairytales. She'd learned very early on that knights, dragons, and visibly hideous villains weren't part of the princess life while wealth and authority over a country wasn't as relaxing or easy as one would imagine. Hell, she wasn't even homeschooled like most royals were in the movies.

Instead, the real tragedy was the fact that her father chose his addiction over his own wife who'd ended up killing herself and left her daughter behind. The real tragedy was that she was killing and torturing war criminals before she'd even turned 16 and had ended up falling for the real villain who'd ended up being a charming and manipulative abuser that was good at pretending to not be one.

But while under the influence of hallucinogens, watching Hisoka had given her an image she'd never thought she'd get to experience:

her own knight fighting a _dragon_.

As the fearless magician charged towards the large fiery beast like some gladiator, the audience watched in awe and shock as he leapt forward— right between its claws and into its mouth as the flames and tendrils devoured him whole.

And the craziest part was that the bastard was smiling.

"WHAT'S THIS?!! HISOKA JUST RAN RIGHT INTO THE MOUTH OF THE SKELETAL FURY!"

Sanura could've sworn she felt her heart stop for just a second.

For just a moment, even the audience and Alexei himself were confused with such a reckless and seemingly suicidal act.

Then the crazed magician emerged from the flames.

"WOAH!! IT SEEMS LIKE HISOKA IS.. SURFING DOWN THE SPINE OF THE SKELETON??"

Hisoka had used his bungee gum to form a surfboard beneath his feet and he slid down the fury's spine as if it were just a fiery wave. Cinder was smeared along his skin while parts of his top was burned. But a crazed grin was stretched along his lips nevertheless.

To be even more dramatic, the magician brushed his finger through the flames and put it in his mouth, just to breathe out the fire as if he were a dragon himself.

The act had even impressed some of the crowd. "Woah! Not gonna lie that was kinda cool." One person said.

In Alexei's brief state of shock, Hisoka took the opportunity to tag him with bungee gum and attach it to the one he'd left on the ceiling earlier.

Then the prince was lifted up as soon as the magician reached the ground.

With the bungee gum still attached to his finger, the magician started twirling it like a lasso and causing the prince's body to spin along with it.

Mixed reactions and gasps escaped the audience as they watched the magician spin the prince as if he were the blade of a helicopter.

But the cold and calculating magician was briefly preoccupied by his own thoughts. _According to my calculations.... the field should go off again in... now._ He thought.

Hisoka's twisted grin came back. "I hear you whip criminals for their crimes here." He snickered with a mischievous undertone. "Shouldn't princes be punished for their crimes _as well~?_ "

The magician had turned the prince into a human whip and began thrashing him around the cage, causing the prince's body to get electrocuted every time he made contact with the bars.

Alexei groaned with every shock and Hisoka was moving him around so fast that he couldn't get a chance to do anything but continue to get thrashed.

The audience and even the announcer were jarred into shock and silence as they watched their prince used as a whip and smacked against the electrical bars of the cage. Meanwhile, Hisoka looked like he was having the time of his life.

Finally after a good thrashing, the magician forcefully tugged on the bungee gum and the prince's body smacked down onto the ground.

Before he could get up, cards were swiftly thrown at each leg, causing Alexei to yell in pain. He quickly realized he couldn't feel anything below his knees which kept him from getting up.

"Now, now. Did I hit a _nerve_?" The magician casually approached the prince and crouched to his level. "Then again... hehe... I presume you'd know a thing or two about nerve damage." Hisoka maintained his lighthearted tone and smug grin as he spoke. But there was a tinge of bitterness in his words. "After all... isn't that what you did to **_her_** arms?"

The crowd went silent as they heard Hisoka's words. Then whispers and chatter erupted.

"What?"

"He's lying."

"Is he talking about the princess?"

Even in her intoxicated state, Sanura paused at Hisoka's words with her eyes widening in shock.

Was he trying to expose Alexei?

But more importantly, was it for her sake or his sadistic desire to break the prince?

This caught Alexei's immediate attention. And just for a brief second, Hisoka didn't miss the prince's facade breaking and his guilt was clear.

But then he went back to being unbothered and _innocent_. "Look, whatever she's told you is a lie. She did that to herself which is why she needs help. She _needs_ me."

This was enough to lessen the grin on the magician's face. Hisoka was not amused. In fact, he was very irritated.

The magician stood back up and his hand gripped the prince's hair before literally dragging him to the center of the cage. He set the prince on his knees, his fingers not leaving Alexei's scalp.

" _Your highness~_ I suggest you do yourself a favour and confess while you still can. Don't be so difficult while at death's door." Hisoka mused again. But his voice was less sweet and more serious. "If you _love_ her then now's your _chance~_ " he mocked. The magician bent to his ear level and whispered so that no one else would hear his next words. "Tell you what, I'll spare you if you confess." Hisoka offered.

But the prince knew he was going to die either way. If this was how he was going to go out, the least he could do was seem innocent until the end.

His cool ocean eyes looked up at the magician as a wickedly handsome smirk danced across his lips. "I have nothing to confess."

Those became his final words before Hisoka detached his head from his body and held onto it as the rest of the prince's corpse collapsed onto the ground.

The audience and announcer had absolutely no idea how to react.

The atmosphere became quiet to the point there was hardly any ambience and Hisoka stood alone in the cage with blood, bruises, burns, and a very unimpressed expression.

Despite being able to kill the prince, he wasn't able to completely break his spirit or tough facade— it was a cheap victory.

But he knew it wasn't going to go anywhere if he'd let Alexei live any longer.

Nor was he able to reveal the prince's true nature to everyone.

The magician eventually broke the silence with an irritated sigh as he waited to be let out of the cage. "How disappointing."

His prey had become a lost cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who would've thought Hisoka would be the knight in shining armour heh


	20. Epiphanies

#  **CHAPTER NINETEEN**

# Fight Club

**THANKS TO** the princess' order, Hisoka was immediately released from the cage.

People were still silently staring at him in shock and fear as he walked past them with Alexei's head in his hand.

As the magician trudged along, he recognized some of Alexei's 'fans' in the front row and a devious smirk reached his features. He suddenly tossed the prince's severed head at them, causing the women to shriek in horror. " _Catch~_ " he chimed smoothly.

As he turned to continue walking, he noticed Sanura approaching him at a fast pace. She was still wearing her round sunglasses which made her expression even harder to read. It was odd timing, but he couldn't help but think how cute she looked as she trudged her way towards him with her all black outfit, funny sunglasses, and dark hair in a messy bun.

But little did he expect for the cold princess to jump into his embrace and wrap her arms around his neck before burying her face into it. For a brief second, the magician's body went rigid at the unexpected affection.

"You're an idiot." She mumbled weakly into the crook of his neck as her fingers tangled into his tussled hair.

Hisoka's arms smoothly wrapped around her waist to reciprocate the hug and he held her firmly as he buried his face into her shoulder with a soft smile. From what he'd picked up, Sanura's use of 'idiot' usually translated to 'you had me worried sick!'

"I couldn't get him to confess..." his tone was lighthearted but Sanura could hear the disappointment laced in his words.

The princess cupped Hisoka's face and leaned her forehead against his, her bandaged hands stroking the smeared face paint on his bruised cheeks. "You're alive. That's all that matters." She sniffled while keeping her legs wrapped around his waist.

This caused the magician's feline eyes to turn into crescents as he smiled. "Awfully _touchy_ , aren't we?" He teased.

Sanura made a sheepish chibi expression with her hands still cupping Hisoka's face. ".... I'm high. I took a _hit_ every time you got _hit_." She admitted with a childish giggle. "By the way, remind me to never get high during your fights. I was absolutely _losing_ it when you jumped into the skeletal fury."

A flustered Hisoka raised a brow in surprise (and admittedly concern) before setting the shorter princess back down. "Oh... yes we would like to avoid that."

"Your highness, may I speak with you?"

Sanura turned to find Alexei's assistant standing nervously with his hands clasped together and a guilty look on his face.

Once the high princess went to privately speak with him, as if on cue, Hisoka's phone went off. A small wave of curiosity hit him because he hadn't the slightest idea of who it could be.

But as soon as he took his phone out and read the bold lettering on the screen, the magician had to keep his eyes from bulging into saucers at the surprise message.

Hisoka's leftover adrenaline from battle spiked along with his bloodlust, and he felt his heart pounding so hard against his chest it felt like it was about to leap out.

He had to be dreaming.

The message was from none other than _the_ Chrollo Lucilfer, and it read:

_Heaven's Arena. In three days. 2 pm sharp._

Three sentences.

That was all it took for the magician to feel ecstatic and giddy. A nearly demonic smile contorted his features and he began to chuckle darkly.

Could it be that after _years_ of pursuit, the forbidden fruit that was too high for him was _finally_ within his reach?

Could it be that he was finally able to checkout the special and limited edition toy that kept going out of stock and disappearing from the glass display?

It was like a game of tag between them, except Hisoka was always it and the kid everyone ran from in the playground.

Their dynamic basically went like this:

_"Come here~" a little Hisoka would call out to little Chrollo as he chased him around the playground._

_"No!" The latter would say._

_"But I want to fight you!" Little Hisoka would pout and drawl childishly._

_"No!"_

_"Okay, okay." Little Hisoka would put his hands up in surrender. "Let's be friends~" which would've caught Chrollo's attention until the little magician's face distorts into a devilish glee. "And then let's fight."_

_".... NO!"_

_"Nooo, COME BACK!"_

The more the chase prolonged, the more Hisoka's anticipation grew.

So those three little sentences from the man that had ghosted him almost put the magician on cloud 9.

Hisoka texted back a simple " _okay_ " with his signature heart emoji.

Sanura came back looking a little out of it but caught the magician's attention before he put his phone back in his pocket. "Once someone tends to your wounds, we're getting our things from the hotel." She gave a lazy and sarcastic smirk. "It seems like we're going back to the palace."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The pair had been taken back with an airship, which had only taken a few hours compared to the train.

Turns out Alexei's assistant wasn't just terrified of him but he clearly didn't respect him and admitted he only followed him out of fear. As the news of the prince's death spread throughout the kingdom, he confessed to many of Alexei's corrupt doings and secret schemes that took place outside the public eye.

Mixed reactions erupted from such news and it turns out there were many people that weren't a fan of the prince before learning of his wrongdoings (particularly the poor and unprivileged). However while more than half the kingdom celebrated, there were still many who still followed the corrupt prince and caused riots.

News channels covered Alexei's death but were ordered to omit any details of the illegal fight club while Hisoka's identity as the prince's killer remained anonymous. Witnesses of the fight were forced to sign confidentiality agreements.

But that didn't stop people from either praising the magician for being a hero or from wanting his head.

And amongst all of it, Sanura automatically had full authority because Dian's government wasn't a democracy. She was set to have her coronation in a few days as queen.

Now it was late and Hisoka was sitting on the railing of the balcony attached to his room with legs carelessly dangling along the edge and partially crossed. His cool pastel hair was casually down, his face was bare, and he wore black harem pants with curled toe flats while he hummed and played with his cards.

The doctor that had tended to him allowed him to shower before applying his dressings because Hisoka's pain tolerance was inhumanely high and he was lucky his burns were barely first degree. So the magician was currently shirtless with bandages wrapped around his arms and torso. He'd also cut his nails.

Hisoka just figured he was lucky that his injuries weren't bad enough for him to call Machi. He highly doubted the petite woman would've flown all the way here no matter how much he offered to pay her.

And of course if Sanura wasn't so high, he would've preferred the princess tended to him herself.

The magician unconsciously fiddled with the ring on his finger with the metal band starting to mark his skin. It was starting to become hilarious how it managed to stay on after everything.

"There you are."

Hisoka turned his head to find the barefoot princess wearing a flowy black nightgown, and ink hair let down with Bobby pins holding her bangs on either side. She was giving him a lazy smile as she joined him on the railing.

"If you're still in pain, I can always sing it away." She offered.

Hisoka moved his gaze to the sky and formed a lopsided grin. " _No~_ I'm okay." He politely declined the human anesthesia. "Finally sober?" He asked playfully.

Sanura tried to suppress her sheepish grin as she followed his gaze to the sky. "Yeah. I don't usually vape weed but I thought the intense occasion called for it."

The magician tittered at that. " _Hmm~_ I prefer your cotton candy one."

"You're leaving, aren't you."

Hisoka's playful smile lessened at her blunt and rather rhetorical question. Consequently, her habit of not beating around the bush was starting to become the equivalent to giving his head a habitual smack.

The magician didn't expect to feel so disappointed with those words because they were true.

Yet they caused a pang in his chest.

"There's someone I've been trying to fight for a very _long_ time." He admitted softly. His honey eyes slid to the princess through his long bangs. "The time has come for me to finally get my wish."

Sanura similarly felt an ache in her chest and forced herself to face him as well.

She wanted to take a moment to memorize all his facial features— from the complimentary slope of his upturned nose, to his cheekbones, to his sharp jaw and adorably big ears.

But most importantly, she really wanted to treasure those intense feline eyes that always looked at her as if they were trying to gauge an emotion from her.

She suddenly took out one of her Bobby pins and Hisoka continued to look at her, not daring to move as he let her brush some of his front bangs back to pin them.

It was strange for the magician to have someone he was so comfortable with that he never had to worry about death threats or her intending to hurt him. He'd already threatened to cut her neck twice now and yet she did all these friendly gestures and they'd be able to simply hang out or talk about informal things. For instance, he'd learned that she was secretly a sucker for cheesy romance films, particularly 90's Bollywood. And he knew this because he'd ended up sitting through one in their suite as he silently observed the princess blush at a scene of the lead heroine running into her lover's arms in a field of flowers. There was also this one scene where the heroine was alone in a towel, singing and dancing in her room about the man she loved and Hisoka couldn't resist teasing the princess saying "Sanura, _you should do such cute things over me_ _~_ you have the voice for it."

To which she'd flippantly scoffed and retorted "we haven't exactly spent any time apart for me to be able to do that."

Hisoka would've been lying if he didn't acknowledge he'd almost blushed at that. It made him realize they were practically attached to the hip for seventy two plus hours.

Dare he say that this was what having an actual friend felt like? He remembered that she'd said friendship can exist regardless on if a relationship was platonic or romantic. But he wasn't entirely sure what he had with her.

If Hisoka wanted to ask someone out he was typically pretty suave and straight forward about it. But that was because he didn't take such things seriously. Such things were all fun and satirical to him— a mere mockery.

But doing such things _as a joke_ with Sanura suddenly felt wrong to him.

He brushed off his conflicted thoughts and his attention retreated to the sky again.

Sanura let out a sigh and got off the railing. "Well, if tonight's your last night then I'd like to show you something that I've been working on."

The magician looked back at the princess in curiosity. She was now standing and holding out her hand for him to take. "Oh? And what would that be?" He asked smoothly.

She merely flashed a sweet smile that made Hisoka's heart skip a beat.

His curiosity took over and he got off the railing before letting her interlock their fingers. This was the second time she was unnecessarily initiating physical contact like this. But seeing as she'd already admitted she liked having her hand held, Hisoka just went with it (not like he was complaining).

Still barefoot, the princess led the way with the magician trailing a little behind. The halls of the palace were dark and a lot of lights were off. "Where are we goi-"

But Sanura turned around and cut him off by putting a finger to her lips. "Pretty sure almost everyone's asleep." She whispered playfully.

Hisoka's brows jumped at her childish gesture but he humoured her and put a finger to his lips as well. " _Oops~_ " he whispered with a crescent eyed smile, followed by a giggle. All this sneaking around was quite amusing to him. It was so scandalous yet childish.

As Sanura continued to hold his hand and lead him down more halls, Hisoka's gaze made its way to her swaying hips and her exposed shoulders. Without realizing it, his mind suddenly drifted to the perfect curves of her figure and how they effortlessly transitioned to her slim waist. Or the few moles that scattered along her arms and could probably form a smiley face if he tilted his head and squinted a little. Hell, even her ankles suddenly looked attractive with the way her thin chain anklets decorated them.

And her skin... he thought it looked so smooth that even a single kiss could probably leave an imprint as if stepping in fresh snow. He predicted her skin probably tasted like whatever fruity lotion she used. Or perhaps it tasted like cotton candy seeing as she loved the delectable so much. Or cherry because of the natural colour of her lips.

 _I wonder if her lips taste like cherry or cotton candy. Hmmm but she seems like a cranberry type of woman as well._ He pondered.

The magician had absolutely no idea where all of this was coming from, but he could feel his throat go dry at the alluring woman before him. He was suddenly feeling a little awkward holding her hand and trying his absolute best not to show any reaction to their physical contact. He wasn't even sure if she was into sex, so he didn't want to make any unnecessary advances and ruin whatever they have.

He suddenly wondered how he was just noticing all of this now. He'd acknowledged that she was attractive but he hadn't acknowledged that she was _this_ attractive.

The perplexed magician checked to listen for any soft humming because maybe she was using siren's call on him.

But the princess was silent.

Before he knew it, they were walking down a flight of stairs and she seemed to be leading him to a basement level. If he didn't trust her, he would've already been on his guard and ready to kill her if necessary.

But their destination was finally revealed as Sanura turned on the lights and Hisoka realized they were surrounded by instruments.

His eyes widened in intrigue at the grand piano in the center, then the violins laid across the room. Most instruments seemed to be string orchestra ones as his vibrant irises landed on the bass and cello. Although, there was slight excitement at the view of a guitar in the corner. "Oh my, don't tell me you're about to serenade me." He looked to the princess with his smug grin.

But instead of drowning in a blushing frenzy, she gave him one of her famous genuine smiles. "Sort of...?" She mocked sheepishness. "Not to worry, I won't be singing." She reassured him as she could tell the magician was wary about her singing due to her ability.

Little did Hisoka realize that she couldn't use siren's call on him without his consent even if she wanted to. But the princess was pretty sure it wasn't her condition itself that he'd forgotten.

He just didn't know how she truly felt about him.

"But I will be playing something for you." She finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol I grew up watching Bollywood and I honestly love the romantic cliches in the older movies. Any fellow South Asian readers here? :D also HISOKURO’S DYNAMIC IS WEIRDLY HILARIOUS TO ME? Togashi actually drew a manga panel of chibi Hisoka chasing chibi Chrollo and it’s actually so sad he’s been chasing him for the whole series LMAOO


	21. Passion

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY**

# Palace

**THE CONFIDENT** grin and his suave exterior was washed away while Hisoka's lips parted and he was reduced to blinking fitfully like a child.

He pointed to himself with an innocent expression. "You... are going to play something.... for me..?" He asked cautiously to confirm.

Sanura's eyes widened when she realized what he thought her implication was. "Oh.. no I don't mean that I wrote a piece specifically for you or anything. Uh.. I've been working on this for a while and I just finally got to finishing it today. But you're the first person that'll get to hear it." She laughed nervously as her ears threatened to turn pink.

The magician visibly relaxed at her clarification and his carefree smirk was back. "Ah, _I see~_ " he sauntered his way to sit next to her at the piano bench. Their shoulders were a respectable distance despite his large build.

Sanura pretended like the fact that he was shirtless didn't suddenly distract her a little. This was new because she usually couldn't care less for whether he was half naked or even naked.

But now she couldn't stop thinking about the veins that branched along his muscular arms. Or the fact that his chest and abs were so defined and exquisite that they could probably put a god to shame.

And his smell. The princess acknowledged that he'd always smelled really good but now his smell seemed so intoxicating and enrapturing that she just wanted to-

 _Ah, the charms of being demisexual._ She thought sarcastically.

Hisoka watched in fascination as she set herself in position, her partially bandaged fingers curled along the white keys while her posture straightened.

"So.... how does it feel to know that you're a queen now?" He suddenly asked with a teasing grin.

His comment caught her off guard and her hands ended up collapsing onto the keys, making a horrid sound that made the magician laugh.

She couldn't help but sarcastically smile and turned to him with a playful scorn. "Not funny." Her tone held mirth.

If she was being honest, she wasn't completely against her current position. Despite spending so long trying to convince herself that she wasn't cut out for this, Sanura realized that she cared too much about the state of the kingdom and wanting to be the ruler that she was born to be. She was no longer going to take people's personal opinions of her to heart, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try to care for their well-being as queen. And just because Alexei had managed to convince her that she was powerless for a brief period, it didn't mean that she wasn't allowed to suddenly bounce back with new hope and motivation.

"Honestly, I'm a little nervous and overwhelmed but I also... want it...?" She shrugged.

Fortunately for her, Hisoka didn't seem fazed by her change of heart. "Well, people do change. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin." He said casually.

"I know you said I don't have to fulfil a grand purpose or be a hero but it seems like we _both_ ironically ended up doing just that." She was now speaking more sincerely and gently as she maintained eye contact with him. He didn't miss how her previously lifeless eyes were sparkling with adoration and that rare vivacity. "I know it wasn't your intention... but you ended up being the hero, Hisoka."

The serene magician admittedly didn't know what to say to that. She was right, it wasn't his intention at all. It was one thing to acknowledge that his actions would save Sanura but he didn't sign up to save an entire kingdom.

Nevertheless, a soft smile adorned his lips as he averted his gaze to his hands. "I'm merely a _humble_ magician." He played it off.

It was amusing to her that this man whose pastel bangs were currently held back with her Bobby pin and was avoiding eye contact was the same man who confidently walked around in a jester outfit and killed for the thrill.

But what Sanura truly admired was the fact that no matter what people said about him, he always walked away with a cute smile on his face while cracking jokes, humming, or giggling to himself and playing with his cards because he just didn't care for what people thought of him. Hisoka was his own man who did what made him happy and unapologetically loved himself no matter what.

Arousal for battle and all, Sanura thought that if he was a beast, he was also the beauty. He was what Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde couldn't achieve. She admired every part of him because he was a man of complexity and numerous colour palettes.

Consequently, it was getting more and more clear that the soon-to-be queen of Dian was unequivocally and rapidly falling for him.

The ravenette got back into position and placed her fingers on the black and white keys.

And before Hisoka could process it, he was graced with the soulful yet melancholic piece.

The way she prolonged certain notes with the piano's pedal and her hands seemed to move effortlessly while maintaining smooth transitions between bars had the magician so enraptured that he felt his eyes close.

The song was wordless yet the blend of soft notes and high keys expressed so much emotion that Hisoka could almost visualize it as he unconsciously swayed to the music.

At first, he saw pain.

Fear.

Hopelessness.

He saw someone drowning in their own shadow and losing the will to pursue their passion to the point that it began to slowly kill them— he saw a withering person.

He saw his _corpse bride_ decaying over time.

And before she could reach him, her bandaged hands would start to disintegrate.

But then the tempo picked up.

It felt like time reversed and whatever began to decay was gradually beginning to heal.

This was when her will and passion started to resurface and it was like watching a Phoenix rise from the ashes.

His _corpse bride_ was slowly coming to life.

And with his eyes still closed, Hisoka unconsciously smiled.

"So, what do you think?"

It took the magician a moment to realize the music had stopped and they were wrapped in silence.

"Oi, Hisoka."

Hisoka opened his eyes and turned to see Sanura looking at him with a concerned and partially self conscious expression. Her eyes were wide with innocent anticipation for his response. But he still needed a moment for the lingering sensation to fade, it was like the notes had seeped into his skin and were playing around with his heart strings. Whether it was her singing or her playing, her music made him feel things.

 _She_ made him feel things.

The princess laughed nervously at his lack of speech and her gaze went back to the keys. "You could probably tell that it started out _really_ grim and depressing. There are no words to this song but the story starts with me losing my passion to sing and make music." She bit her bottom lip. "Alexei personally loved to hear me sing and he was always using my voice to control others. So he'd lock me in here and I was creating music to the point I no longer felt anything for it. I started to feel numb and lost any sense of what was important to me and my purpose... they say a person can experience two deaths: the first being the most painful, which is when that person loses their passion for doing something they love." She chuckled cynically as Hisoka remained silent. "I've noticed that you sometimes treat fighting like it's an art. You ruminate over your opponent's strategy and critique their technique as if it's some type of performance. We have our similarities but the difference is that your passion became your addiction." She playfully lolled her head to face the magician. "Am I right?"

For another minute, Hisoka was silent as he mulled over her words, she couldn't tell what he was thinking but she _could_ tell that he was thinking deeply about something.

Then his cat eyes stared straight into her large ones. "Sanura, what made you finish this piece?" He suddenly asked.

An unwanted blush suddenly dusted her cheeks.

 _You. Because you inspired me to revisit something I love, you practically saved my life, and I just feel motivated and happy whenever I'm around you???!?!??!!_ Her mind screamed.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I just suddenly felt like it." She said cooly.

Hisoka's expression remained blank as he scooted closer to her. Sanura could feel her heart beating rapidly as his thigh suddenly met hers and he leaned forward to gently reach out to the side of her face. She could tell he was hesitant and cautious, but his thumb affectionately brushed against her cheekbone nevertheless.

She wanted to close her eyes at the feeling of his bubblegum breath fanning her face and his nose brushing against hers as he leaned closer. Their foreheads were now touching.

His eyes moved to her crimson lips. If only she could feel how fast his heart was beating as well. " _Sanura._ " he whispered.

The way he said her name sent a warm feeling in her stomach and between her legs. It was soft yet it felt seductive. His other hand made its way around her waist, his touch was so electrifying that her skin beneath the thin silk of her gown was reacting to it.

Her hand suddenly cupped the side of his face as well, causing the magician to instinctively lean into her touch.

"You make it _very_ hard for me to not like you, you know that?" He finally said with a cheeky grin that almost touched her lips. Sanura felt like he was teasing her and she found it tantalizing.

And that was enough for the princess to close the distance between their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to BTS and their song Black Swan for inspiring this chapter :) if you don't listen to them I recommend trying black swan and reading the lyrics it's pretty much the same meaning as Sanura's piece


	22. Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol this chapter is literally just smut but I thought my man saved a country so he should get some pussy ;)

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

# Palace

**SANURA'S** fingers weaved through his hair and slightly tugged on it, eliciting a moan from the magician while his lips feverishly moved with hers.

Both of them were past the stage for starting the kiss slow and languid, so the princess wasted no time allowing his tongue to enter her mouth after it had lathered the surface of her lips. She gasped into his mouth as she felt him bite down on her bottom lip, but her body was too excited to feel anything except pleasure.

 _Cranberry_. He confirmed after tasting her lips. They were sweet yet bitter— like her.

Hisoka's hands moved down her waist until they hooked under her thighs and brought her onto his lap so that she was straddling him with her gown riding up her thighs. He wanted her as close as physically possible. He wanted to feel her against him.

They were practically devouring each other without giving the other a chance to gasp for air, whatever feelings they repressed were being translated into their needy and aggressive lust which was mixed with the taste of cotton candy and bubblegum. Hisoka moaned into her mouth as he felt Sanura grind against him, his grip on her thighs tightened and his hands began to glide up her smooth skin.

He couldn't wait to mark it and then cover it with texture surprise just to make the act all the more scandalous. He wanted his work hidden in plain sight yet a teasing reminder to her that it still exists.

The magician finally detached his swollen lips from hers and began to kiss down her jawline then trailed to her neck. His tongue refused to leave an inch untouched and he relished in the taste of her alabaster skin against his mouth. Sanura let out another gasp of pleasure and her grip in his hair tightened as he bit into her skin then started to suck on it harshly. Her eyes were closed and she craned her neck to give him more access.

Not even Alexei had made her feel so good. The prince had never touched her with so much passion behind his actions.

Hisoka's lips moved to her collarbone and he impatiently undid the laces of her dress to pull it down further. To his pleasant surprise, she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Did you plan to seduce me?" He teased while leaving a hungry peck on her neck and then her lips. Consequently, he'd already left a trail of dark purple and red splotches along her neck.

But he wasn't sorry.

All Sanura could do was let out a breathy chuckle as her eyes met his lustful ones. "For your information, a lot of women just don't like sleeping in a bra." Even breathless, Hisoka found her voice so sweet and light whenever she spoke. It reminded him of whipped cream.

The magician let out a "mmm" at the sight of her ravishing round breasts before replying to her. "Fair point."

Then he buried his face between them while his hand kneaded one. Sanura threw her head back while her fingers were still interlaced with his hair. She was trying to avoid dragging her hands along the rest of his body because of his injuries.

The more skin she exposed, the more moles he discovered, which he thought were adorably disproportionate to one another.

His mouth made it to one of her nipples and he began to suck slow and hard on it while his fingers played with the other one. He was suddenly thankful he'd cut his nails. He made sure to swirl his tongue around it before switching to her other one.

Words couldn't describe how good he felt from merely sucking on her skin. The more he ravished, the greedier he got. He practically worshiped the mere physical contact they had— and it wasn't just because of how physically attractive she was.

Hisoka realized that he wanted her _badly_. He wanted her mind, body, and soul because the magician wanted _all of her_. He figured if it was just for tonight, there was no harm in being so greedy and possessive, right?

Both of his hands went to hold up her back and pushed the dress even further down, allowing them to roam her bare skin.

Sanura felt like her body was on fire from the way his sensual hands were feeling her up. His lust radiated off of him like heat, and she was sizzling beneath his touch. "T-there's a-" her breathy words were interrupted by him biting her shoulder and she moaned at the mix of pain and pleasure it elicited. So she tried again. "There's a- mmfh" then she was interrupted again by his swollen lips meeting hers and they were having another passionate makeout session, except this time the kisses were sloppier and wet, but eager nevertheless.

"Hmmmm, sorry were you trying to say something?" Hisoka grinned against her lips and gave her another peck.

Sanura pulled back and gave him a playfully skeptical look before trying to speak again. "I was just going to say there's a bed right there." She pointed to the twin bed in the corner. "Since Alexei kept me in here for long periods of time, I sometimes slept here." She explained.

Even though he knew that she was implying they should take it to the bed, the magician's expression slightly softened at the fact that she was forced to be in here for that long. Not to mention how unbothered and casually she'd said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

But his sympathy was short lived when he realized they'll just make new memories on that bed.

His eyes became slits and he gave her a deviously cute smile before getting up from the piano bench and keeping her around his waist. "Alright, _up we go~_ " He headed straight for the bed.

Sanura kept her arms around his neck for support. But her brows furrowed in concern. "Wait, your injuries. Is carrying me like this not gonna hurt?" She asked seriously. She let out a subtle yelp as he dropped her onto the bed and maintained his cheeky grin.

The magician hummed happily at the woman before him. "You're so cute when you're worried about me." He beamed dismissively. Then like a switch, his lustful and hungry gaze came back. He slid her gown off her legs, leaving her in just her lace underwear.

The princess decided to let it be and allowed him to kiss her ankle. His teeth briefly played with the chain of her anklet before kissing up the inside of her legs— he absolutely adored her little accessories. Every time his mouth made contact with her skin, it was languid yet hungry. He suckled onto her harshly with every kiss, leaving a trail of hickies and taking his sweet time while enjoying the smoothness of her shaved legs. Accurate to his predictions, her skin tasted like fruity body lotion. He couldn't get enough of it.

The higher he reached, the more she suddenly squirmed beneath his touch. But the magician made sure to hold her legs down and open for him. He looked up at her with a smirk. "I'm going to need you to stay still... _your highness~_ " he mocked.

Sanura's tongue playfully poked the inside of her cheek at his comment. But she silently complied. Then she jolted at the sudden sensation of him biting her inner thigh. Hisoka noticed this and chuckled mischievously against her skin, sending a pleasurable vibration throughout her body.

After what felt like ages of teasing and lapping at her inner thighs, the magician's fingers hooked onto her underwear and dragged the fabric down until it slipped off her legs. Now she was completely bare for him. His golden eyes sparkled with lust and awe at the sight of her. Hisoka couldn't recall ever desiring someone so much.

In that moment, he felt like the luckiest man alive.

He was suddenly eager to be inside her. He almost _craved_ to be so physically intimate with her.

And he needed to taste her.

The magician wasted no time hungrily kissing up her inner thighs again until his mouth finally reached her clit, and even gave a playful blow. "OH-" Sanura's fingers tangled with his hair and she ended up pushing his head further in, encouraging him to work his tongue against her. Her bottom lip made its way between her teeth and her head sunk further into the mattress.

He noted that she was already wet and he loved it. He could also taste the fact that she must've had pineapple earlier today. The sweet flavour made him grin against her before he continued to lap and suck away. His fingers dug into her thighs to keep her in place.

Sanura could've sworn she was already seeing stars from the way Hisoka's tongue was working inside her. She was in a complete state of ecstasy. She moaned once the magician brought a hand to massage one of her breasts while eating her out. She ended up blurting out a few curses and Hisoka's name, which only turned the magician on and made his tongue work more aggressively.

He wanted his name to leave her mouth more often. In this case, preferably with pleasurable screams.

Then after more pleasurable rounds between his tongue and her clit, she finally came in his mouth. And Hisoka made sure he savoured every last drop of her sweet release. He even licked away any of the excess cum that drizzled down her legs as if it were his favourite icing. His tongue greedily dragged along her skin as his eyes rolled back at the taste. He was enjoying this just as much as she was.

When he finally finished with her legs, he started kissing along the outline of her abs with more affection, making sure to kiss the two uneven moles beside her belly button.

"Wait, don't you want me to return the favour?" He heard her ask before she tried getting up.

But the magician took a hold of her shoulders and pinned her back down. He was now hovering over her with his messy mint hair and Bobby pin long forgotten. If he wasn't so horny, she would've ran her fingers through those feathery locks. "Sanura, I can assure you that getting to eat you out was reward enough." He spoke smoothly before lifting her chin with his finger. " _Want to taste yourself~?_ " He purred.

He took the look she was giving him as a yes, so his lips clashed with hers and the princess could taste the remnants of herself on his tongue as he practically shoved it into her mouth.

Making out with Sanura seemed to be Hisoka's favourite thing because they'd ended up having yet another heated makeout session and he couldn't get enough of her cranberry lips.

She suddenly let out a surprised moan in his mouth at the feeling of his finger entering her. At first, he started with only one. Then he entered another one, all while keeping up with her tongue and swapping saliva.

Until she finally broke the kiss, leaving a string of saliva between them. "Are you- mmm " she was having trouble finishing her sentence with the way his fingers were working inside her. At some point, he'd added a third one. "Wait," she heaved "so you don't want me to suck your dick?" She asked as bluntly as possible.

But for once, Hisoka wasn't fazed. Instead, he lowered his head until his lips were right against the writhing princess' ear as he continued to pump his fingers inside her.

"Sanura," he started off low compared to his typical voice, which both surprised her and sent thrilling chills down her spine. She was pretty sure Hisoka had never said her name so seriously before. "The only thing I want right now..... is to be inside you and fuck you as long and hard as I please." Then a smirk brushed along his lips. "If you let me, of course."

The mere sharpness of his tone was enough to turn her on. But the magician didn't stop there as he briefly nibbled on her earlobe just to tease her. He took his fingers out of her and shamelessly licked them clean.

Hisoka finally took off his pants and boxers, but he paused at the realization that he didn't have a condom. "Oh.... are you on birth control?"

Fortunately, the princess gave him a reassuring look. "Yeah, Alexei made me go on it and I personally take the pills for my monthly cycle." She said casually.

"Pity. I was hoping my children would be royal heirs to a kingdom."

"Hey!"

"I'm just _joking~_ " The mischievous magician said with a snicker.

Sanura couldn't bite back her smile. "I know. You're supposed to make me horny, not laugh." She couldn't even finish her sentence without letting out a melodic and charming giggle.

Unbeknownst to her, Hisoka was really enjoying that look on her face. It was that happy and lively look that made him admire her in silence.

He thought that look suited her.

He wanted to cause more of those smiles.

Now fully naked, he crawled on top of her and positioned himself to line up with her.

Up until now, the magician had avoided touching her bandaged wrists or hands because he didn't want to end up being rough with them. He felt a little awkward about it but he asked the question anyway. "Do you want me to hold your hands...?" He asked as smoothly as possible.

Sanura suddenly felt her playful smile fade into a small genuine one. Perhaps it was the thought behind his question or the fact that his expression was more serious and held genuine concern for her preference. She particularly couldn't get over those intense honey eyes.

At this point, if he kept looking at her like that, she knew she was bound to confess her true feelings for him— her irrationally deep and festering feelings that people would mock like they did with _Romeo & Juliet_.

 _It's been like what, four days since we've known each other?_ She thought to herself.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She finally answered with a soft smile.

Hisoka gently took her hands and interlaced their fingers, like a calm before the storm. Then he entered her.

It took a short while for her to adjust to him, and the magician ended up making out with her to distract her from the initial pain, their lips becoming numb against each other. But then his pace gradually became faster and harsher, until he was roughly and rhythmically pounding into her as she'd so boldly asked of him. His face ended up resting in the crook of her neck and occasionally giving her butterfly kisses or whispering sinful nothings into her ear.

It was a bonus that she'd ended up spouting more curses and moaned Hisoka's name between her screams of pleasure. Like her singing, her pleasurable screams were music to his ears.

She felt amazing against him.

Not once did they let go of each other's hands.

Just as he'd thought, Sanura's pain tolerance and stamina was high enough to keep up with him and go for as many rounds as he pleased. She kept begging for more and he gladly complied and came inside her every time. They ended up sticking to missionary.

By the time he did his final thrust, they were both heaving and sweating. He collapsed next to her, his chest rising and deflating arrhythmically.

They both took a moment to rest before Sanura offered for them to clean up together in her bathroom since she had a very large shower that she specifically used for her burn injuries. So they wore their current clothes and headed to her washroom holding some fresh clothes.

After stripping again and undoing his bandages, the magician's eyes widened in amazement at the large shower stall.

 _Oh she wasn't exaggerating. This is big._ He thought.

He noticed there were two shower heads and both were detachable (they were handheld shower heads).

A naked Sanura followed him before closing the shower stall and headed to one of the shower heads. She'd also consequently unwrapped her bandages, revealing the discoloured and disfigured parts of her arms. But she would've been lying if she still didn't feel self conscious about them.

Then out of nowhere, she felt a massive pressure of water splash against her face.

She had her typical straight face and casually opened her eyes to see a seemingly 'innocent' Hisoka twirling his handheld shower head on his finger and looking anywhere but at her.

Now dripping, she wiped some water from her face and sent him her most unimpressed expression. "You're lucky your burn injuries are still fresh." She squinted with mock warning.

The magician merely grinned mischievously and waved his hand in mock surrender. "Ooooh _scary~_ " He said sarcastically. "Sanura, I'm fine. Really." He reassured.

The princess merely put a hand on her hip and kept squinting at him. "Are you challenging me to a naked water fight?"

Hisoka cocked a brow at this. He thought that was actually a very fun idea. "Would you accept...?" Instead of being answered, the magician was met with pressurized water colliding with his face.

Hisoka casually wiped his eyes before opening them again and spitting out some water that went into his mouth. "That was a freebie." He admitted. The magician swiftly dodged her next attack and sprayed her back.

Sanura dodged as well. Then she attempted to retaliate. But as she pressed the lever, no water came out. The next thing she knew, her shower head was pulled from her grasp.

 _Wait a second..._ She thought.

She used gyo and realized Hisoka's bungee gum was attached to her shower head and blocking the water. " _Gotcha~_ did you know that chewing gum is waterproof?" He suddenly whispered into her ear.

The magician had crept up behind her and he had one hand around her naked torso while the other one held her shower head and aimed it at her.

Her tongue poked the inside of her cheek with mirth. "That was a dirty trick." She admitted in defeat.

Hisoka merely smiled into the crook of her neck before attaching his lips to the unmarked side and slowly sucking on the skin.

Sanura moaned and threw her head back onto his shoulder, allowing his free hand to roam her stomach and give her breast a squeeze before roaming back down to her clit and merely caressing it.

She finally felt water hit her skin as he used the shower head to rinse her body while his lips continued to suck, bite, and lick her neck.

Sometimes he teased her and pressed one finger inside her, massaging her achingly slow and making her mewl.

Then he moved the shower head to wash her back and she felt him cup her ass while leaving languid kisses on her unmarked shoulder blades.

She knew what he was tempted to do. "If you wanted to fuck me from behind, you could've just asked." She said plainly with a lopsided grin.

The magician merely smirked into her skin. " _Then may I~_ " He teased while continuing to mark her back.

"Yes, you absolutely may."

She didn't have to say it twice. He positioned himself behind her before slowly pushing himself in.

Sanura let out a pleasurable scream that echoed off the shower stall's walls.

Her hands met the tiles and she was slightly bent over.

Hisoka's hands held her hips firmly as he continued to gradually push in and out until she told him to go harder and faster.

He went back to kissing her neck and cupped one of her breasts while pounding harshly into her from behind. He felt her squeeze around him and it made him moan into her neck. One of her hands made it through his damp hair as she continued to scream his name, which only encouraged him to stimulate her further. So his hand left her breast and his fingers went back to playing with her clit.

At this point, Sanura wasn't sure how many orgasms he was gonna give her or if she'll survive the next one.

Due to her extreme pleasure and lack of focus, she lost track of how long this went on for.

But she was conscious enough to be aware that they at some point did doggy style when he'd asked her to bend over and then rammed into her ass. He'd occasionally spanked her playfully (but not harshly) and trailed butterfly kisses down her spine. She enjoyed every second of it and had even egged him on to ram into her harder, not caring how many times he came into her.

The magician knew he was getting carried away with her. But seeing as it was his last night here and he had no idea when he'd see her again, all he wanted to do was feel her against him in every way possible.

So as her back leaned against the wet tiles and her fingers locked with his damp hair, he kissed her like there was no tomorrow and his tongue roamed the inside of her mouth as if it became its second home. And once they returned to missionary, he continuously thrusted into her as rough as she'd desired, suckling onto her marked breasts while enjoying the feeling of his hands touching every crevasse of her body.

Eventually, they both got clean and dressed up. Hisoka humoured her with a chuckle when she'd pointed out that they're twinning because of their burn injuries and they'd bandaged each other up.

She could tell things were suddenly super mushy between them but instead of cringing at it, she'd blushed furiously after the magician kissed her bandaged hands and claimed it was because doctors give patients a _treat_ after treatment.

Now they laid on Sanura's bed with Hisoka's arms secured around her figure and his face buried in her chest. She found it surprisingly comfortable how his warm breath fanned her cleavage as he slept peacefully with his face nuzzled against her skin. She only slightly shifted because she was feeling sore between her legs— Hisoka really did a number on her.

Nevertheless, Sanura kissed the top of his head before falling asleep with her fingers still laced into his hair from playing with it, and her arms hugging Hisoka's head as if he was a teddy bear.

Little did she know that the magician hadn't actually fallen asleep yet.

After making sure she was in deep slumber, he removed one of her hands from his hair just to intertwine their fingers and give them a gentle peck.


	23. Celebration

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

# Palace

**THE FOLLOWING** morning, Sanura woke up to Hisoka doing push-ups as part of his morning workout. The tsundere princess was still feeling giddy so she ended up laying on his back with her arms around his torso as he effortlessly continued without her body weight bothering him.

But it wasn't until she mischievously left chaste kisses on his bare back that the magician started to get distracted and held himself back from flipping her over to have her pinned to the ground.

A little later, she found herself sitting between Hisoka's legs with her back to him.

"So.... what parts would you like me to cover?" The shirtless magician asked.

Consequently, there was a celebration happening today in honour of Sanura becoming the new and rightful ruler of Dian, so Hisoka had offered to use texture surprise to cover up any of her hickies that might be visible. He'd ended up leaving them everywhere except her arms.

"Cleavage and above, my stomach, and below my knees." She casually listed the places that her cultural gown wasn't going to cover.

Hisoka hummed at this. " _Okay~_ " He realized it would be easier to tie her hair first, so the magician gently took all of it between his hands and was about to make an elastic with his bungee gum-

"You're not tying my hair with bungee gum, are you? I have a hair tie." She said without looking back at him.

The frozen magician made a sheepish chibi expression before getting rid of his bungee gum. "....... of course not." He lied. He took the hair tie from her and lazily twisted her soft waves into a messy bun. "By the way, it'll be easier if you pull your dress down." He said with a smug grin.

Sanura held back her amused smile and silently undid her laces, allowing Hisoka to peel off her dress until her lower back. She almost got goosebumps from the way he did it so sensually.

Hisoka hummed in approval at the sight of her bare back and some of the dark and prominent hickies he'd made. "Much better." He purred. The magician was tempted to leave some more right now, but he restrained himself. "Let's see the damage, _shall we~?_ "

His fingers brushed against her neck as he examined the harsh marks and bites he'd left. He genuinely didn't realize how rough he'd gone on her. Last night he was drunk on his feelings and it was like blacking out without the hangover.

"Oh my. Perhaps I got carried away." He mocked guilt as if he wouldn't have had her pinned to the bed and repeated his actions if it were up to him. Sanura narrowed her eyes because she could tell he was grinning without even looking at him. But she stayed silent and fiddled with her vape pen.

She closed her eyes at the relaxing feeling of him applying the fabric on her neck. She could also feel the stickiness of the bungee gum keeping the fabric in place.

Hisoka worked smooth and efficiently as he did her neck, shoulders, and lower back. Now he had to do her stomach, part of her breasts, her collarbone, and her legs. The magician brought his lips against Sanura's ear, almost making her shiver at the way his breath kissed her skin. "I'm going to need you to lie down for me." He whispered in his sultry voice.

The princess silently complied and got out of her spot before laying herself on the bed and finally facing him.

Hisoka made his way towards her then sat himself between her legs by wrapping them around his waist. His eyes flickered with lust as his gaze met her bare breasts, but his exterior remained impressively composed.

She felt his fingers start to linger along her skin as he covered her legs and then stomach. The princess would even catch him giving her childishly mischievous grins or he would try to suppress them with little effort.

But by the time he had to start with her breasts, her heartbeat spiked as he crawled his way until he was hovering above her. He was looking down at her and she could tell his self control was beginning to crumble.

Perhaps if he wasn't leaving today, he would've been much more composed and on task.

But Sanura recognized that lustful and insatiable look in his eyes. Her stomach formed butterflies at the way he was looking at her. It was the feeling a hormonal teenager would get once their crush finally acknowledged them.

She gasped when his free hand gave one of her breasts a light squeeze and pinched her nipple just to see her reaction. Then he brought his face closer and purposely breathed over it, causing her back to slightly arch. His lips were just ghosting over her skin with a twisted grin. They refused to make actual contact but teased her as much as possible.

Sanura found herself wondering what she ever did to deserve such torture.

To her horror, Hisoka was about to back away and she ended up impulsively sandwiching his face between her hands and bringing it to hers until their noses smushed against each other. "If you're going to do something... fucking do it." She snapped lowly.

This merely caused the magician's smirk to widen before he silently lowered himself back to her breasts and attached his lips to the skin around one of her nipples, sucking slow and hard. He figured if he was going to cover it up anyways, might as well have some fun. Her hands instinctively laced through his hair and gripped onto it. She tried hard not to moan, so her lips were just parted.

Hisoka's other hand kneaded her other breast and she could already feel heat pool between her legs. And all she could do was mentally cuss at him for being such a tease.

She jolted when he suddenly bit her nipple and she could hear him try to suppress his snicker.

"You're evil." She deadpanned.

The magician remained unbothered and his hand reached beneath her dress and underwear to feel how wet she'd already become, his finger teasing her entrance. He brought his face up to hers until their lips were just touching. " _Want me to take care of that for you~?_ " He purred against her mouth. "I don't mind dessert before brunch."

She smiled sarcastically against his lips and tried to ignore the way his index finger was moving against her clit. "Oh you're so thoughtful and generous."

He leaned away from her with a shrug and feigned indifference. "I can stop if you'd like." His voice was light and teasing, but he was being completely serious. If she genuinely didn't want it, he was going to respect her decision and comply.

But whatever had begun to brew within the magician ached to be near her again.

Sanura sighed in exasperation and her expression softened with him. "I'd prefer if you could finish what you started... including applying your texture surprise, _please_." She said in her more gentle and soft tone.

The corners of Hisoka's lips quirked at her sweet whipped cream voice while he tried to ignore the fuzzy feelings he got from her soft expression. But if she was going to speak to him like that, then how could he possibly resist?

The impatient magician discarded her lace underwear and pushed her nightgown up until it was above her hips. Just as promised, he wasted no time repeating his actions from last night and ate her out just as passionately, making the princess squirm and writhe against his mouth and tongue while she repeatedly mewled his name and made it clear whenever he hit her sweet spot.

Until she finally came in his mouth.

After licking away any remnants of her release, he finished applying texture surprise to the rest of her body as instructed.

But once he'd finished and she adjusted her nightgown back on, Hisoka just _had_ to taste her cranberry lips that were still swollen from last night.

So having her still pinned beneath him, they ended up having a very sloppy and heated makeout session with his tongue enjoying the familiarity of her mouth while he occasionally bit and sucked on her flavourful lips. Sanura was no better because she was starting to crave the taste of bubblegum on his tongue and decided on getting the same flavour for her vape— a dangerous idea but a good way to savour a part of him during his absence. She let him do as he pleased, moaning into his mouth and relishing in his touch while his hands kept gliding up and down her thighs.

Because behind his lust and hunger, she could tell there were emotions fuelling them.

He was going to have a hard time leaving her.

After he was satisfied, he finally let her go get ready for the celebration while he got dressed in his typical attire.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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A few hours later, Hisoka was curiously wandering the palace as it started to fill up with more and more people.

Sanura didn't have much time to eat with him, but he'd discovered the delight of Dianin food. The princess had gotten him to try butter chicken with naan which made him hum in satisfaction. But he'd ended up really enjoying the lamb and rice they'd served, which she'd called lamb biriyani. He also liked the yogurt milkshake which was called a lassi, and those juicy white sweets which instantly melted in his mouth. The princess had fed him one and then blushed when his mouth playfully lingered on her fingers and sucked on them just to tease her.

Hisoka admittedly felt spoiled, but he was shamelessly enjoying every second of it.

_"Oh.... Sanura, this dish has garlic. I thought you were allergic~"_

_"I'm not a vampire."_

_"You're still welcome to bite me~"_

Consequently, the magician had discovered Sanura's canine teeth were abnormally sharp and really _did_ resemble vampire fangs.

Then she'd ditched him again to get ready.

The whimsical magician's attention was caught once he saw a group of people getting their henna done. He used gyo and realized the ladies were using nen to apply an instant drying henna that probably lasted on the skin for maximum one day, it was a conjuration type ability. If he wanted, he could've easily used texture surprise to apply his own henna.... but where would be the fun in that?

So imagine the lady's surprise when the next person in line ended up being a built 6'2 man with face paint and a jester outfit, smiling down at her cutely. "I'd like that one, _please~_ " He casually pointed at one of the designs behind her.

Despite her initial shock with the peculiar man, she stayed professional and took his wrist to start decorating his skin. The magician let her do her job and silently watched with fascination as his arm was suddenly covered in aesthetic lines of what seemed like a cultural design.

Once she was done, Hisoka complimented her work and thanked her before making his way down the hall as he hummed an unfamiliar tune.

He was interrupted when something suddenly rolled to his feet. The magician looked down to see an orange and his slender eyes followed the direction it came from until he saw a little girl that seemed no older than 9 years old.

She was near a fruit bowl and she seemed to be hoarding a bunch of oranges in her arms, but she was frozen once her eyes met his— as if she was just caught stealing.

To Hisoka's amusement, he was pretty sure she _actually_ was sneaking away with all those fruits and there was currently no one else around to witness it.

The magician casually picked up the orange at his feet and dusted it off before he approached the child in smooth strides.

The little girl gulped as the strange mint haired man walked towards her, his figure getting bigger and more ominous. She thought she was busted and was pretty sure he was either going to tell on her or get her in trouble himself.

Hisoka finally stopped walking, leaving a respectable distance between them before squatting to her level and giving her a crescent eyed smile. "This fruit is not yet ripe." He held up the orange and pointed at it with his free hand. "You should go for the ones that are the sweetest." His gaze moved to the bowl of oranges and he squinted before carefully picking one out with his free hand and holding it out to her. "This one will taste _much_ better because it's ripe and ready."

The stunned child merely stared at the fruits in his hands before letting out a sassy scoff. "They look the same. What are you, some fruit expert??" She asked in her high pitched voice.

The magician closed his eyes and maintained his cute smile while he hummed. "If you don't believe me, try them for _yourself~_ " he held out both oranges.

The girl eyed the fruits warily. Her parents had always told her not to accept things from strangers. But she'd seen him take the fruit from the bowl right in front of her. She took both of the oranges and tried them one at a time whilst the magician observed her patiently. Dark red juice dripped from her lips because the oranges were consequently blood oranges. The child's eyes suddenly widened as she tasted the ripened fruit. She acknowledged that Hisoka was right: it was really sweet and juicy. Her astonished eyes turned to the smug magician. "How did you know?!?!"

Hisoka took another orange from the bowl and his nail traced around it before poking the skin and causing crimson to drip from it. "Unripe fruit is typically still green or has a green tint to it." A dark chuckle left his lips as they suddenly stretched into a devilish grin. His cute expression morphed into a sinister one as his mind drifted elsewhere. Hisoka's bloodlust spiked as he unconsciously squeezed more juice from the ripe blood orange, making the red seep through his fingers. "As appealing as it may seem, I don't recommend eating premature fruit. If you don't let it flourish.... you won't be able to savour the taste once it reaches its peak." His golden eyes enthusiastically flickered to the suddenly wary girl.

She didn't know what it was, but the magician's expression and tone was starting to creep her out and she shivered in his presence. She gulped and took a step back. Then the oranges between her arms all fell, causing them to splat onto the ground with the red juice making a 'bloody' mess.

After noticing the poor girl's fear, Hisoka realized he was freaking her out and acknowledged that he'd gotten a little carried away.

So his eyes crinkled into another crescent eyed smile as he stood up. "Hehe, so moral of the story...." he bit into the blood orange in his hand and sensually licked the crimson substance that dripped down his mouth "mmm, wait until the fruit is ripe before you _eat it~_ " he closed his eyes and beamed cheerfully before turning to saunter away, leaving the little girl petrified as she watched the grown man giggle to the point his shoulders were trembling.

After some more wandering, the magician made it to the balcony of the second floor which was directly above the main ballroom. He was pretty sure this was where Sanura was supposed to perform.

So he seated himself on the edge, legs dangling as he peeled the skin from his fruit and devoured the rest of it while occasional "mmm"s left his mouth.

Soon the bottom floor got more crowded as more people gathered. Music started to play and they all chattered while Hisoka merely observed from his position above.

It didn't take long for everyone to suddenly quiet down as traditional drums and other instruments began to play a grand tune that signalled the princess' entrance.

Hisoka used his thumb and index finger to make a circle and peeked through it as if it were a spy glass, attempting to spot the dark haired beauty in the crowd.

But when she finally appeared within his sight....

The magician could've sworn the oxygen briefly escaped his lungs.

Her dark waves were curled with glitter styled into them, creating a shimmer. He could make out some glitter and rhinestones beneath her eyes as well, concealing her usual dark circles and amplifying her eye makeup.

And he'd never realized she had her nose pierced because she suddenly had a septum ring.

He recognized her cultural gown to be similar to the woman from that Bollywood film they'd watched, except it was all black with silver designs on the long skirt and the bralette top was plain. A matching scarf was tied around her shoulder and waist while her arms were bandaged as usual.

Hisoka thought she looked absolutely gorgeous. " _What a view~_ " he chimed with his signature grin.

The scene before him seemed so hilariously cliché. The way her hair was perfectly flowing as she gracefully walked down the steps with an unexplainable wind hitting her face and her movements almost mimicking slow motion. He humorously thought she just needed a sparkling background and she was all set.

Nevertheless, Hisoka mentally rewinded the scene, clicking play just to watch it again in his head and have his mouth form a little "o" as he checked her out. And he happened to have the best seat in the house.

Sanura smiled and greeted everyone, but he could tell that she was scanning the crowd for him.

He playfully pondered how long it would take until she realized that he was watching from the second floor.

And as if on cue, their eyes met.

She raised her brow in amusement and nodded at him. But then her brows furrowed when she saw him pointing at his own eye.

She used gyo and realized he'd used In to conceal his pink aura that was shaped into a message for her, and she couldn't help but smile.

The words _BREAK A LEG_ floated above him as he gave her a thumbs up and a smile that turned his closed eyes into slits.

The lights dimmed and changed colours, signalling the beginning of the performance. That's when the magician realized that Sanura was about to dance with the bells on her anklets starting to jingle to the beat and catching Hisoka's undivided attention.

He watched in awe with his lips parted as her body began to move with the music. The way her hips matched with the beat of the drums had him mesmerized.

Every beat seemed to vibrate through his chest and gave the infatuated magician goosebumps. Meanwhile, the traditional string instruments provided a hypnotic and slightly sensual ambience.

The way her body moved with flexibility and shook the little bells on her anklets... it was so smooth and satisfying for him to watch as her bare feet practically glided across the floor.

She looked like a graceful black swan.

Her glittery hair sparkled beneath the lights while falling perfectly over her exposed shoulders and eliciting a gulp from him.

Hisoka was smiling dreamily at the sight of her, his intense feline eyes were hooded and focused on her movements as he unconsciously leaned forward and almost fell over the edge of his seat.

He was completely and irrevocably enamoured with her.

That's when he knew he was in trouble.

He'd never had the pleasure of seeing such a beautiful and cultural performance. There were dancers juggling torches and breathing fire around her. He noticed more people joining the dance and surrounding her as she twirled, her gown flowing with her movements and making her look like a spinning rose from his high point of view.

Then he saw something that even put a magician like himself in awe.

The bottom of her gown suddenly set fire by itself, but no one seemed to be panicking.

The partially concerned magician watched curiously as the flames began to devour Sanura's dress from bottom up, and the black fabric was replaced with red.

Her dark gown had transformed into a red one with different designs on the skirt and top— this time in gold.

It was the first time he'd seen her wear something other than black.

 _What a trick!_ He thought with excessive glee.

Hisoka took the people joining as his cue to stand up and casually take a step over the edge before landing gracefully on the main floor.

As more people joined in to merely dance with the music, everyone's attention left their beloved princess and they became preoccupied with themselves instead. It went from a performance to a full on dance party.

The elusive magician took this opportunity to casually saunter his way towards her, his tall figure swiftly slipping through the crowd with his eyes trained on Sanura happily twirling. She was consequently at the center, making Hisoka have to avoid more dancing bodies until her eyes finally landed on him.

But once he got closer, her smile faded as she realized the one on his face was a sad one. If she didn't have the slightest idea why, she would've cupped his face while asking him _'what's wrong?'_ in her soft and concerned tone.

But she had a feeling she knew.

Her thoughts were confirmed after Hisoka suddenly wrapped both arms around her waist and buried his face into her hair, saying three words that ended up almost breaking her heart.

He hugged her a little tighter and she felt his warm breath against her head as he spoke into her hair. "I should go." There was a sad lull to his voice.

For a moment, she didn't say anything as she stood still in the magician's embrace. No one else seemed to notice their little moment as they all danced happily, laughing and chatting with each other. But they all seemed to drown out of focus and became grey blurs as her focus went to the feeling of his calm heartbeat against her irregular one.

"Okay." She finally croaked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you watched the hunger games, Sanura's dress stunt was inspired by Katniss :D


	24. Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hisoka might be a lil OOC here but at the same time I can see him be impulsive enough to do this because he's a yolo type of guy

#  **CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

# Palace

**SANURA** allowed Hisoka to take her hand and lead her out of the main hall. They first headed to his room to retrieve his things.

"You pack light." She commented out loud as he finished putting his folded clothes into his suitcase. Her words came out lifeless and dry. She was standing near the doorway with her arms crossed and back on the wall.

The magician merely hummed in acknowledgment as he put his cards away and sat on the edge of the bed with his hands resting on his thighs. "I think that's everything..." his sentence was an awkward decrescendo. In that moment, Hisoka didn't have the will or energy to maintain his smug grin and carefree attitude.

He was supposed to be happy and excited that he was finally getting his fight with Chrollo yet here he was feeling sullen over leaving the woman before him.

Sanura took the opportunity to calmly walk towards him and sat on his lap with her skirt lifted above her knees to straddle him. Her arms wrapped around his neck before nuzzling her face into it as a hug. Instead of being surprised by her sudden affection anymore, the nonchalant magician merely wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Her hair smelled like floral shampoo and he found the scent comforting.

He just found _her_ comforting.

After a moment of enjoying each other's silent embrace, she cupped his face and their foreheads touched. "I'm gonna miss you." She spoke weakly and her nose nudged his.

Hisoka closed his eyes and smiled sadly against her lips. Every time she said something sweet to him, it made his heart flutter against his wishes. How did he end up catching such a woman's affection? And more importantly, how did he let her get to him like this?

The same lifeless woman he'd initially despised had somehow weaselled her way and became so precious to him.

He no longer saw her as a toy (at least that's how he currently felt). Like some classic fairytale, his mental Sanura plushie had transformed into a real person.

A person he admittedly cared about.

For now, the fickle transmuter just wanted her to be happy.

"Me too." He confessed softly. His own words echoed through his head.

_"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin."_

He kissed her gently and she immediately kissed him back. But it wasn't like their previous kisses that were eager and fuelled by hungry passion.

This one was much more innocent and attempted to translate their melancholy. They wanted to savour this one as their lips caressed one another ever so softly. No biting, no tongue— just pure affection.

Sanura suddenly gulped when she realized this was her chance to probably confess how much he really meant to her. She cleared her throat and avoided eye contact because this was those times she wanted to cringe at herself. But she was a straight forward woman. "Listen.... I know we haven't really known each other for that long and it's gonna sound preposterous..." she chuckled nervously "but I think I lo-"

"I know."

The princess could've sworn she felt her heart stop. She hesitantly looked up at a serious looking Hisoka, his arms still casually secured around her waist while she was straddling his lap.

 _Well this kind of feels awkward._ She thought to herself.

Hisoka wasn't clueless. After last night, he would've been a fool if he couldn't put together how much she felt for him. He would've been an idiot to not realize the way she'd looked at him after playing for him.

But only Sanura Demir was crazy enough to fall in love with Hisoka Morrow, let alone within the span of five days.

And that's why the selfish magician found himself feeling conflicted.

Having a moral crisis and deliberating over doing the right or wrong thing... Hisoka never had to worry about such things because he just did whatever ended up benefitting him the most.

But his situation with Sanura just felt like a double edged sword no matter how he approached it.

"Sanura... I'm going to ask you a question. And I want you to think carefully before you answer." He waited for her to lift her gaze and lock eyes with him.

He needed her to look at him when she answered.

His intense eyes were suddenly burning through her, and his hold on her waist didn't falter. She suddenly felt a little intimidated by the way he was looking at her so seriously but there was something about his expression that felt like he was almost pleading. "Can you be certain... that you'll feel the same way about me after I leave..?" He asked seriously.

The way he saw it, feelings were a fickle thing that could change just as much as people. Even if she loved him now, who's to say she won't move on during his absence?

The princess was taken aback by such a question because she could acknowledge the same thing. She wanted to say yes but it would be a naive answer because she didn't know what the future held for her.

So she boldly looked at him dead in the eyes and her hand affectionately caressed the painted teardrop on his face before giving him her answer. "I can't be certain." She admitted. "I'm certain about my feelings for you right now, so you can either take it or leave it. But either way..." she trailed off as she brought her lips against his, not kissing them but just touching. Then her other hand gently raked through the composed magician's hair. "One thing I _can_ guarantee for the future is that I'll never have regrets about loving you in the first place. Even if I end up hating you." She said with complete seriousness.

Hisoka seemed satisfied with her answer because he suddenly smiled against her lips. "Then here's what I propose." He carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and his smug grin became serious again. "If your feelings for me don't fade after I leave.... I'll come back for you and take you out on a _proper_ date.... and who knows..." he trailed off as he took the hand that cupped his face, intertwining their fingers and pressing it against his chest. "Perhaps I'm in love with you as well." His tone seemed teasing but he wasn't joking. If he ended up truly falling for her, so be it. If it turned out he was in love with her... he was willing to be at her mercy so long as his heart pleased— Hisoka Morrow would no longer be his own man. He was even willing to go as far as proposing to her and marrying her for real. He'd whisk her away so that they could travel together and she'd be there for him after his gruesome fights. They'd go on dates, they'd have inside jokes, they'd _'make love'_ and he'd be willing to do all the cheesy romantic things she would ask of him.

That's _IF_ he knew for sure he was in love with her.

But if she ended up moving on from him, then he was convinced he was doing both of them a favour.

The sociopathic magician knew this was possibly the most dangerous gamble he'd ever made.

 _Hehe.... love really does make one do crazy things_. He thought cynically.

"So what do you say?" He punctuated the question with his lips meeting her cheek and lingering there. The princess swallowed harshly and closed her eyes at his sensual touch. "Do we have a deal?" He asked against her skin.

At first, she didn't say anything and he felt her become completely still against him. The magician's face remained buried into her cheek and despite his flickering doubt, he waited patiently.

"I'll hold you to it. You owe me a date." He finally heard her say. "But you also have to let me run into your arms in a field of flowers." She partially joked.

Hisoka laughed at such a request before he gave her an affectionate peck on those cranberry lips he adored so much, a peck on the heart shaped birthmark on her cheekbone, and then playfully planting numerous others all over her face saying "muah" each time which made her giggle. "If it makes you _happy~_ " he mumbled against her lips.

Sanura finally got off his lap and she accompanied him outside to say a final farewell. It didn't take long for a limousine to arrive and Hisoka was compelled to give her a bear hug and kiss her forehead.

"Take care of yourself, Sanura."

She forced a smile at his genuine concern, trying to keep the tears from leaving her eyes. "Have fun with your fight." She replied softly.

But Hisoka didn't miss the trembling of her lips, so he cupped her face to make her look up at his soft expression. "Sanura, it's okay to cry in front of me, ya know." He said seriously.

She smiled at his words. "It's just... I have glitter and rhinestones beneath my eyes, so I really shouldn't. I'm just teary cuz I don't have my sunglasses." She tried to speak dismissively but her voice broke nevertheless.

The magician took that as his cue to hug her one last time, one of his hands cupping her head while the other went around her waist. "Okay, _crybaby~_ " he teased with a cheeky grin.

For a moment, he let her sob and sniffle softly into his chest until she convinced him he could let go, so he hesitantly complied.

Hisoka gave her a playful wink before making his way into the vehicle, ignoring the slight ache in his chest due to their parting.

He pulled down the window and gave her a final wave to which she tiredly waved back.

However, as Sanura watched the vehicle disappear from her sight, she couldn't help but get a strange and uncomfortable feeling that suddenly spiked her anxiety.

Whatever it was, it seemed to crawl beneath her skin and caused the poor princess to shiver from a weird chill.

 _Why do I get a bad feeling about this?_ She thought.

She ironically felt like a wife seeing her husband go off to war.

But she tried to brush off her gut feeling and turned to walk back inside.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


—— ♠ ——  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hisoka pulled up his window as soon as the vehicle left the palace grounds and suddenly brought out his phone.

After a few rings, a cold female voice answered. _"What do you want."_ She asked with disinterest.

" _Machi~_ if I paid you in advance, would you treat me after my fight with Chrollo?"

The other end was silent.

The magician should've expected the question to be risky. After all, he'd just implied he wanted her to heal him after he would kill her beloved leader. "If I die, you can obviously keep the money. A dead man has no use for such things anyway. No harm in that, right?" He offered in his light hearted tone.

That seemed to do the trick.

 _".... it's gonna cost you a LOT more."_ She finally replied.

A twisted grin tugged at Hisoka's lips as he fiddled with his cards. "I'm willing to pay whatever it takes."

To his delight, she agreed. _"Fine. We'll discuss the price later."_ She deadpanned.

"Thank yo-" she'd hung up on him before he could finish his sentence. Nevertheless, Hisoka tittered at this. It seemed like everything was falling into place.

He figured that once he beat Chrollo and got treated, he would take some time to fully heal. If everything went smoothly, he didn't run into any problems, and found himself some time to spare....

The callous magician shuffled his cards and suddenly pulled out a queen of hearts. He found himself staring at the colourful image intently. Then when he closed his eyes, he saw her.

He saw her smile and he saw her laugh.

He saw the way her ears and cheeks turned pink when she blushed and the way she felt against him whether it was her skin or her lips.

He saw her dance and he saw her play the piano for him. He saw her do vape tricks with her cotton candy flavoured pen and he saw her wear those comical round sunglasses that made her seem like she'd been troubled for hundreds of years.

Then she'd take them off and look at him with those chocolate eyes that ignited feelings within him that he wasn't used to.

_"I'll never have regrets about loving you in the first place."_

His hand twitched at the thought of her fingers intertwined with his.

 _Sanura, will you wait for me?_ He wondered.  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_THE END_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs nervously in manga reader*
> 
> If you actually made it this far and left a kudos, I want to thank you in advance :) I'm posting this story all at once but I have been working on it for the last few months and it was honestly a very fun and experimental journey :) also I've grown attached to Hisoka and Sanura's relationship haha they're just so cute and I specifically designed her character for him because it's a nice change to see someone so openly adore him in the fictional world since everyone pretty much hates him in the hxh universe


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